Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 15.7 years longer

In Haiti, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 69 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 12.2 times more money

Haiti has a GDP per capita of $2,800 as of 2022, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $34,300 as of 2022.

be 59.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Haiti, 14.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2022.

Life

be 90.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Haiti, approximately 350.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, 34.0 women do as of 2020.

be 49.8% more likely to be literate

In Haiti, the literacy rate is 61.7% as of 2016. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.

be 84.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Haiti, approximately 40.0 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 63.2% fewer children

In Haiti, there are approximately 21.2 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 2.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Haiti, approximately 47% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 99.2% more likely to have internet access

In Haiti, approximately 39.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, about 77.7% do as of 2021.

be 30.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Haiti, approximately 76% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.6 times more on education

Haiti spends 1.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 71.7% less coastline

Haiti has a total of 1,771 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Haiti? See an in-depth size comparison.

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