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

Health

live 13.9 years longer

In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 37.6% less likely to die by suicide

Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 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 7.6 times more likely to be obese

In Rwanda, 5.6% 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 47.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Rwanda, 11.4% 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 36.1 times more money

Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.

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Life

be 95.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 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 17.3% more likely to be literate

In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.

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be 79.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 79.7% fewer children

In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 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 56.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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 2.8 times more likely to have internet access

In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.

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be 62.9% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.

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Safety

be 4.0 times more likely to be murdered

Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 46.6 times more home broadband

Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 30.1 times more CO2

Rwanda emits 0.2 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 (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021–2022). 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 Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.

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