Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 8.8 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 54.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 2.7% as of 2023.

pay a 78.8% lower top tax rate

Puerto Rico has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Guatemala, the top tax rate is 7.0% as of 2016.

make 70.5% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $43,000 as of 2023, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $12,700 as of 2023.

Life

have 2.7 times more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.8 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 Guatemala, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 4.3 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 26.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 34.4% less likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guatemala, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 13.9% less on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 20.2% less coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.

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

Guatemala: At a glance

Guatemala is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 107,159 sq km. The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.
Read more

How big is Guatemala compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Guatemala.or Puerto Rico It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.