Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 5.6 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In China, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

be 21.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In China, that number is 4.7% as of 2023.

make 48.6% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $43,000 as of 2023, while in China, the GDP per capita is $22,100 as of 2023.

pay a 36.4% higher top tax rate

Puerto Rico has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In China, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 32.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 34.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In China, 23.0 women do as of 2020.

have 30.8% more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 11.9% 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 China, on the other hand, 6.8 children do as of 2022.

Geography

see 28.9 times more coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury, State Administration of Taxation.

China: At a glance

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
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How big is China compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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