Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 15.7 years less

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Haiti, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 93.3% less money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $43,000 as of 2023, while in Haiti, the GDP per capita is $2,900 as of 2023.

be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Haiti, that number is 14.6% 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 Haiti, there are 21.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 10.3 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 Haiti, 350.0 women do as of 2020.

be 33.2% less likely to be literate

In Puerto Rico, the literacy rate is 92.4% as of 2021. In Haiti, it is 61.7% as of 2016.

be 6.6 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 Haiti, on the other hand, 40.0 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 50.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Haiti, 49% of the population do as of 2022.

be 49.8% less likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Haiti, about 39.0% do as of 2021.

be 23.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Haiti, 76% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 61.1% less on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Haiti spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 3.5 times more coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Haiti, that number is 1,771 km.

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

Haiti: At a glance

Haiti is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 27,560 sq km. The native Taino - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first post-colonial black-led nation in the world, declaring its independence in 1804. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has experienced political instability for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations. Continued instability and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti inaugurated a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. This was followed by contested elections in 2010 that resulted in the election of Haiti's current President, Michel MARTELLY. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Estimates are that over 300,000 people were killed and some 1.5 million left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years.
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How big is Haiti compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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