Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 8.2 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 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.
be 41.8% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.5 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 69.2% more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 83.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 67.0 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 54.6% less likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 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 55.7% fewer children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 73.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 79.9% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Infrastructure
live with 29.6% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 92.8% more CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.