If you lived in Senegal instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

Health

be 72.7% less likely to be obese

In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.

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live 13.0 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 24.7% more likely to die by suicide

Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 54.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Senegal, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.

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make 95.2% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $1,955 as of 2025.

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Life

have 5.1 times more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Senegal, there are 29.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 21.5 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 Senegal, 237.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 45.5% less likely to be literate

In Puerto Rico, the literacy rate is 92.4% as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 50.4% as of 2023.

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be 4.8 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 28.9 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 25.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 74% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 31.1% less likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Senegal, about 60.1% do as of 2024.

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be 12.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Senegal, 88% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 44.3% more on education

Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Senegal spends 6.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 66.4% more likely to die in a road accident

In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Senegal, they kill 20.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 16.7% less strain on fresh water

Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Senegal withdraws 16% as of 2022.

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find 85.6% less home broadband

Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Senegal has 4.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 84.0% less CO2

Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
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How big is Senegal compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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