Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Yemen, you would:
Health
live 2.2 years longer
In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 4.7 times more doctors per person
Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
have 76.2% more access to essential health services
Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
be 59.9% less likely to die by suicide
Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 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 Yemen, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 81.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 26.5% more likely to be literate
In Yemen, the literacy rate is 70.1% as of 2015. In Jamaica, it is 88.7% as of 2015.
be 51.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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 66.7% fewer children
In Yemen, there are approximately 34.4 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 16.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Jamaica, about 90.1% do as of 2024.
be 16.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 66% 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 21.6% less on healthcare
Yemen spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 46.4% less coastline
Yemen has a total of 1,906 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 40.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.6 times more home broadband
Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
live with 92.7% less strain on fresh water
Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 13.4 times more electricity
Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 79.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.9 times more CO2
Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2015), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Yemen vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.