The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Puerto Rico fits inside the Dominican Republic 17 times
Dominican Republic: 146,839 km² (2024) · Puerto Rico: 8,870 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Dominican Republic’s coastline is 2.6 times as long as Puerto Rico’s
Dominican Republic: 1,288 km (2026 edition) · Puerto Rico: 501 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Dominican Republic’s highest peak towers 1,760 m above Puerto Rico’s
Dominican Republic: 3,098 m (2026 edition) · Puerto Rico: 1,338 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 51% of the Dominican Republic, versus 19% of Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic: 51.5% (2024) · Puerto Rico: 18.5% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Dominican Republic has 3.6 times as many people as Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic: 11.5 million (2025) · Puerto Rico: 3.18 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Puerto Rico is 50% more densely populated than the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 239 per km² (2025) · Puerto Rico: 359 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Puerto Rico are 4.8 cm taller than in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 174.7 cm (2019) · Puerto Rico: 179.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Puerto Rico are 1.8 cm taller than in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 161.2 cm (2019) · Puerto Rico: 163.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Puerto Rico is 18 years older than in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 27.7 years (2023) · Puerto Rico: 45.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Dominican Republic have 1.3 more children on average than in Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic: 2.22 children per woman (2024) · Puerto Rico: 0.92 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Puerto Rico are 65 or older, versus 8.2% in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 8.2% (2025) · Puerto Rico: 25.3% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Dominican Republic: 0.0017 per 1,000 (2025) · Puerto Rico: no data
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico are practically level
Dominican Republic: 0 (2026) · Puerto Rico: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Puerto Rico has 2 official languages, the Dominican Republic 1
Dominican Republic: 1 (2026) · Puerto Rico: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Puerto Rico’s economy is 2% larger than the Dominican Republic’s
Dominican Republic: $127 billion (2025) · Puerto Rico: $129 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Puerto Rico produces 82% more per person than the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: Int$28,721 (2025) · Puerto Rico: Int$52,196 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Dominican Republic: 39 (2024) · Puerto Rico: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Dominican Republic: 0.8% (2024) · Puerto Rico: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Puerto Rico, versus 5.1% in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 5.1% (2025) · Puerto Rico: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Dominican Republic: 0.8% (2025) · Puerto Rico: no data
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Dominican Republic: 14.7% (2024) · Puerto Rico: no data
How expensive is it?
Puerto Rico’s price level (US = 100) is 2× the Dominican Republic’s
Dominican Republic: 39% (2025) · Puerto Rico: 78% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Dominican Republic: $489 (2023) · Puerto Rico: no data
How long do people live?
People in Puerto Rico live 8 years longer than in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 73.9 years (2024) · Puerto Rico: 81.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Dominican Republic: 27.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Puerto Rico: no data
How many doctors are there?
Dominican Republic: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Puerto Rico: no data
How many hospital beds are there?
Dominican Republic: 0.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Puerto Rico: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Dominican Republic is 43% higher than in Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic: 9.3 per 100k (2023) · Puerto Rico: 6.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in Puerto Rico are obese, versus 31% in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 30.7% (2024) · Puerto Rico: 41.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Puerto Rico rate their lives 0.95 points higher than in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 6.09 (2025) · Puerto Rico: 7.04 (2015)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Puerto Rico drink 13% more alcohol than in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 5.2 litres (2023) · Puerto Rico: 5.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Dominican Republic: 61.6 kg (2023) · Puerto Rico: no data
How much food is there per day?
Dominican Republic: 3,313 kcal (2023) · Puerto Rico: no data
How long do people work?
Dominican Republic: 2,072 hours (2023) · Puerto Rico: no data
How long do people go to school?
Dominican Republic: 9.4 years (2023) · Puerto Rico: no data
How many tourists visit?
Puerto Rico welcomed 2.3 times as many tourists per resident as the Dominican Republic (2019)
Dominican Republic: 0.75 (2024) · Puerto Rico: 1.73 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Dominican Republic: 1 (2026) · Puerto Rico: no data
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Dominican Republic has won 15 Olympic medals, Puerto Rico 12
Dominican Republic: 15 (2026 edition) · Puerto Rico: 12 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in the Dominican Republic are online, versus 87% in Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic: 91% (2024) · Puerto Rico: 87% (2022)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Puerto Rico is 2.6 times as fast as in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 94 Mbps (2026) · Puerto Rico: 242 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Puerto Rico have electricity, versus 100% in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 99.5% (2024) · Puerto Rico: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
94% of people in Puerto Rico live in cities, versus 73% in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 73% (2025) · Puerto Rico: 94% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Puerto Rico has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Dominican Republic 94
Dominican Republic: 94 (2024) · Puerto Rico: 126 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Dominican Republic: 496 km (2014) · Puerto Rico: no data
How much do they fly?
Dominican Republic: 0.09 (2023) · Puerto Rico: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Puerto Rico, but only 47% of the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 46.7% (2024) · Puerto Rico: 49.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
Dominican Republic: 2.9 t (2024) · Puerto Rico: no data
How green is the power grid?
24% of the Dominican Republic’s electricity is renewable, versus 6.4% in Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic: 23.8% (2025) · Puerto Rico: 6.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Dominican Republic carries 68% more fine dust than in Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic: 12.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Puerto Rico: 7.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 38% more likely to be murdered in Puerto Rico than in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 10.9 per 100k (2023) · Puerto Rico: 15.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Dominican Republic are 2.8 times as deadly as in Puerto Rico
Dominican Republic: 52.7 per 100k (2023) · Puerto Rico: 19.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Puerto Rico is on average 0.8 °C warmer than the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Puerto Rico: 25.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Puerto Rico gets 11% more rain than the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: 1,056 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Puerto Rico: 1,168 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the Dominican Republic bigger than Puerto Rico?
The Dominican Republic is larger. Puerto Rico fits inside the Dominican Republic 17 times.
Which has more people, the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico?
The Dominican Republic has 3.6 times as many people as Puerto Rico (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico?
People in Puerto Rico live 8 years longer than in the Dominican Republic. Life expectancy at birth is 73.9 years in the Dominican Republic and 81.9 in Puerto Rico.
Are people taller in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico?
Men in Puerto Rico are 4.8 cm taller than in the Dominican Republic (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
