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

Health

live 8.8 years longer

In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 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 42.6% less likely to be obese

In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.

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be 14.6% more likely to die by suicide

Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 6.2 times more money

Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.

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be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 83.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Tonga, approximately 67.0 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 22.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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 75.3% fewer children

In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 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 29.4% more likely to have internet access

In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.

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Expenditures

spend 19.6% less on education

Tonga spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 19.6% more coastline

Tonga has a total of 419 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

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Safety

be 47.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 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 3.4 times more home broadband

Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 3.0 times more CO2

Tonga emits 1.6 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 (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 Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.

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