Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 17.0% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
be 68.8% less likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.3 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 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.
Economy
be 45.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 80.3% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.0 times more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 11.8 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 Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.7 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 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 Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Jamaica, 88% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.0% more on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.0 times more coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 3.4 times more likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 42.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 36.6% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 42.9% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 41.1% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 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: Puerto Rico vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.