Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
see 26.0% more spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
be 76.8% less likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Vietnam, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 3.1 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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 14.7 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
have 58.4% fewer doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
Economy
make 58.0% more money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 85.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Jamaica, however, that number is 7.8% as of 2024.
Life
be 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 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.
have 14.7% fewer children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Vietnam, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 98% 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 90.7% more on education
Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 66.7% more on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 70.3% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Infrastructure
live with 31.7% less strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 32.6% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
use 53.4% less electricity
Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 57.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
emit 33.5% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.