Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 9.2 years longer

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 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

make 22.9 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2022, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $34,300 as of 2022.

be 17.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2022.

pay a 10.0% higher top tax rate

Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Puerto Rico, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 91.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Malawi, approximately 381.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, 34.0 women do as of 2020.

be 37.3% more likely to be literate

In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.

be 81.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Malawi, approximately 33.4 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 70.7% fewer children

In Malawi, there are approximately 26.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 7.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Malawi, approximately 14% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 3.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 24.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, about 77.7% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 24.1% more on education

Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, 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.
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How big is Puerto Rico compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

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