Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 85.3% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Portugal, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 10.8 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 94.7% more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
see 82.4% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 92.1% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
have 15.9% less access to essential health services
Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 52.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.
make 75.1% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
have 44.9% more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Portugal, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Portugal, approximately 2.7 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 11.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Portugal, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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 25.8% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 21.1% more on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 43.0% less coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 68.7 times more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 64.7% less home broadband
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
use 77.2% less electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 14.5% less CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.