Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 34.0% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
live 9.2 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 56.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 83.8% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.6 times more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.1% less likely to be literate
In Puerto Rico, the literacy rate is 92.4% as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 82.1% as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.0% less likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.9% less on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 20.2% less coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.
Safety
be 60.2% more likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 70.6% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 80.9% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 77.0% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Guatemala
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.