Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 65.3% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
live 18.8 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 55.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
make 92.6% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.2 times more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 32.5 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.3 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.0% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 52.3% less likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 32.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, 67% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 91.1% less on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 53.7% less likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.1% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 2.4 times more strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 84.0% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 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. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.