Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 54.5% less likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 24.6% more likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 17.9% more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
make 18.1% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
Life
be 57.1% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 51.0% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 48.3% fewer children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.0% less on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 96.7% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 10.0 times more likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 89.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 26.4% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 2.4 times more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 19.8% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.