If you lived in Dominican Republic instead of Swaziland, you would:

Health

be 95.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Swaziland, 23.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 9.6 years longer

In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 26.8% more spent on your healthcare

Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Dominican Republic spends $1,169 as of 2023.

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have 4.4 times more doctors per person

Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Dominican Republic has 24.3 as of 2023.

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have 37.5% more access to essential health services

Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Dominican Republic scores 77 as of 2021.

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be 84.6% less likely to die by suicide

Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 85.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Dominican Republic, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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be 67.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Swaziland, 53.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, however, that number is 17.3% as of 2025.

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make 2.7 times more money

Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Dominican Republic, the GDP per capita is $11,059 as of 2025.

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Life

be 34.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, on the other hand, 27.7 children do as of 2024.

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have 25.5% fewer children

In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, there are 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 15.3% more likely to have access to electricity

In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 43.5% more likely to have internet access

In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, about 91.0% do as of 2024.

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be 21.3% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 97% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 37.6% less on education

Swaziland spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 38.7% less on healthcare

Swaziland spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 12.7% less likely to be murdered

Swaziland has a homicide rate of 12.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, that number is 10.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 10.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, they kill 27.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 4.5 times more home broadband

Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Dominican Republic has 11.2 as of 2024.

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live with 49.0% less strain on fresh water

Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Dominican Republic withdraws 40% as of 2022.

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use 55.7% more electricity

Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 59.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Dominican Republic, it causes 27.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.4 times more CO2

Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this

Dominican Republic: At a glance

Dominican Republic is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 48,320 sq km. The Taino - indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of the Europeans - divided the island into five chiefdoms and territories. Christopher COLUMBUS explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821 but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930 to 1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (first term 1996-2000) won election to a new term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term, and was later reelected to a second consecutive term. In 2012, Danilo MEDINA Sanchez was elected president.
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