Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 6.5 years longer

In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 14.3 times more money

Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $3,000 as of 2023, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $43,000 as of 2023.

be 16.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Vanuatu, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2023.

Life

be 63.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Vanuatu, approximately 94.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, 34.0 women do as of 2020.

be 57.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Vanuatu, approximately 14.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

have 62.5% fewer children

In Vanuatu, there are approximately 20.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 42.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Vanuatu, approximately 70% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 17.7% more likely to have internet access

In Vanuatu, approximately 66.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, about 77.7% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 56.5% more on education

Vanuatu spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 80.2% less coastline

Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

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

Puerto Rico: At a glance

Puerto Rico is a territory in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 8,959 sq km. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status with the US, but the results of a 2012 vote left open the possibility of American statehood.
Read more

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

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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