Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 87.8% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sweden, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 12.5 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
see 88.8% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 89.6% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
have 12.9% less access to essential health services
Sweden scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 51.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.
make 87.3% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
have 23.1% more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 32.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 8.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 88% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.7% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 32.3% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 68.2% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 43.0 times more likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 8.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 60.7% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
live with 3.5 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 90.1% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 20.4% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.