Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.7 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Aruba, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 29.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Aruba, that number is 7.7% as of 2016.

pay a 78.8% higher top tax rate

Puerto Rico has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Aruba, the top tax rate is 59.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 48.7% more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Aruba, there are 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Aruba, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 24.8% more likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Aruba, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 72.2% more on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Aruba spends 6.2% of total GDP on education as of 2016.

Geography

see 86.3% less coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Aruba, that number is 68 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury, Ministerio di Finansas, Comunicacion, Utilidad y Energia.

Aruba: At a glance

Aruba is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 180 sq km. Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
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How big is Aruba compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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