Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 5.9 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Belize, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 70.2% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $43,000 as of 2023, while in Belize, the GDP per capita is $12,800 as of 2023.

be 38.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belize, that number is 8.3% as of 2023.

Life

have 2.3 times more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belize, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 34.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belize, 130.0 women do as of 2020.

be 84.6% 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 Belize, on the other hand, 11.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 20.2% less likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Belize, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 2.4 times more on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Belize spends 8.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 23.0% less coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Belize, that number is 386 km.

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

Belize: At a glance

Belize is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 22,806 sq km. Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include the country's heavy foreign debt burden, high unemployment, growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade, high crime rates, and one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Central America.
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How big is Belize compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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