Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 85.8% less likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In New Zealand, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 10.4 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 84.4% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 87.3% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
have 12.9% less access to essential health services
New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.2% less likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 83.9% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
be 18.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In New Zealand, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 88% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.5% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.2% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 33.9 times more likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 58.0% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
live with 53.8% more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 84.9% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 52.7% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 83.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.