Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of New Caledonia, you would:

Health

live 3.0 years longer

In New Caledonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 46.4% less likely to be unemployed

In New Caledonia, 11.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

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make 39.0% more money

New Caledonia has a GDP per capita of $29,213 as of 2024, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.

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Life

be 20.8% more likely to die during infancy

In New Caledonia, approximately 5.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

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have 59.4% fewer children

In New Caledonia, there are approximately 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Geography

see 77.8% less coastline

New Caledonia has a total of 2,254 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

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Infrastructure

find 44.5% more home broadband

New Caledonia has 19.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 71.8% less CO2

New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2020–2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: New Caledonia vs. Puerto Rico

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Puerto Rico is 12.8% cheaper than New Caledonia overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
New Caledonia is about 2 times bigger than Puerto Rico.
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Moving from New Caledonia to Puerto Rico · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Puerto Rico: At a glance

Puerto Rico is a territory in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 8,959 sq km. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status with the US, but the results of a 2012 vote left open the possibility of American statehood.
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How big is Puerto Rico compared to New Caledonia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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