Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
live 2.5 years longer
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 73.4% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Switzerland, it is 14.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Switzerland, that number is 4.9% as of 2025.
make 2.8 times more money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Switzerland, the GDP per capita is $114,769 as of 2025.
Life
be 54.5% less 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 Switzerland, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.7% less 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 Switzerland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
have 52.6% more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Switzerland, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.5% more likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Switzerland, about 97.3% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 13.8% more on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Switzerland spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 95.9% less likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 80.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Switzerland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 68.0% more home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Switzerland has 47.0 as of 2024.
live with 66.7% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Switzerland withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 22.2% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Switzerland
Switzerland: At a glance
How big is Switzerland compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.