Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 0.9 years less

In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 17.9% less likely to be unemployed

In France, 7.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2022.

pay a 34.3% lower top tax rate

France has a top tax rate of 50.2% as of 2016. In Puerto Rico, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.

make 25.3% less money

France has a GDP per capita of $45,900 as of 2022, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $34,300 as of 2022.

Life

be 4.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In France, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, 34.0 women do as of 2020.

be 91.7% more likely to die during infancy

In France, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

have 28.4% fewer children

In France, there are approximately 10.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 34.5% less on education

France spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 89.7% less coastline

France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury.

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.
Read more

How big is Puerto Rico compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Puerto Rico.or France It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.