If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

live 15.9 years longer

In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 19.2% less likely to die by suicide

Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 3.5 times more likely to be obese

In Republic of the Congo, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 69.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

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make 16.2 times more money

Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.

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Life

be 95.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 241.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 14.6% more likely to be literate

In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.

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be 77.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

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have 81.3% fewer children

In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 94.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 84.7% more likely to have internet access

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.

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be 36.1% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 27.8% more on education

Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 3.0 times more coastline

Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

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Safety

be 48.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 22.0 times more home broadband

Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.

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live with 651.3 times more strain on fresh water

Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 3.6 times more CO2

Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Puerto Rico: At a glance

Puerto Rico is a territory in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 8,959 sq km. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status with the US, but the results of a 2012 vote left open the possibility of American statehood.
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How big is Puerto Rico compared to Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.

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