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

Health

live 5.9 years longer

In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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 64.2% less likely to die by suicide

Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 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 94.1% more likely to be obese

In Serbia, 21.8% 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 15.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Serbia, 7.1% 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 2.7 times more money

Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.

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Life

be 31.3% more likely to die during infancy

In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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 38.0% fewer children

In Serbia, there are approximately 9.2 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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Expenditures

spend 25.6% more on education

Serbia spends 3.4% 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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Safety

be 11.1 times more likely to be murdered

Serbia has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 68.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 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 16.1% less home broadband

Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.

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live with 3.4 times more strain on fresh water

Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (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 Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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