Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 0.9 years longer

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Spain, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 12.1% 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 Spain, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 91.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 34.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 59.1% less 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 21.0% more likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Spain, about 94.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 27.8% more on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 9.9 times more coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury, Agencia Tributaria, Spain.

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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