Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Western Sahara, you would:

Health

live 17.2 years longer

In Western Sahara, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 17.2 times more money

Western Sahara has a GDP per capita of $2,500 as of 2007, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $43,000 as of 2023.

Life

be 87.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Western Sahara, approximately 47.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

have 72.1% fewer children

In Western Sahara, there are approximately 28.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Geography

see 54.9% less coastline

Western Sahara has a total of 1,110 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.
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How big is Puerto Rico compared to Western Sahara? See an in-depth size comparison.

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