Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.1 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 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

pay a 41.0% lower top tax rate

Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In Puerto Rico, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.

make 17.5% less money

Japan has a GDP per capita of $41,600 as of 2022, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $34,300 as of 2022.

be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2022.

Life

have 13.0% more children

In Japan, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 8.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Japan, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, 34.0 women do as of 2020.

be 3.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Japan, approximately 1.9 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.

Geography

see 98.3% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 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 Rican Department of Treasury, National Tax Agency Japan.

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 Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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