Have you ever wondered how similar or different two countries are? The Country Similarity Index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries. The index is a statistically-based way to measure this. It weighs equally five major aspects of countries: their demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography. The methodology is exactly the same for each country. The research combines 1,000 different data points to arrive at the conclusions.
Top 5 Countries Most Similar to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is part of the Latin American region. The five most similar countries to it are also predominately Catholic and most of their people natively speak Spanish. Moreover, four of the five countries have climates that are mostly hot and humid.
- Panama and Puerto Rico both have strong historical ties to the United States. Panama’s governance of the Canal Zone by the U.S. (until 1999) mirrors Puerto Rico’s current territorial status. In fact, both countries use the US dollar as legal tender as well. Both have a lot of coastline as well.
- Dominican Republic is located just across the Mona Passage from Puerto Rico. They are both island located in the Caribbean Ocean. There is great cultural overlap between the two nations, including music (especially reggaetón, merengue, and bachata) and food (plantains, rice, pork dishes), due to intertwined Afro-Caribbean and Spanish heritage.
- Costa Rica is located across the Caribbean Sea from Puerto Rico. Both countries have an extremely similar diet, consisting of mostly of rice and wheat staple foods as well as a similar mix of beef, pork, chicken, and fish. In addition, they are some of the more peaceful countries in the region, since they have relatively low murder rates.
- Colombia and Puerto Rico both have mountainous regions historically used for growing coffee, a key export and cultural symbol. However, one big difference is that Colombia is part of South America, although both nations border the Caribbean Sea. Spanish is the official language, and genres like salsa, vallenato, and reggaetón are popular in both.
- Mexico is yet another Spanish speaking country on this list. They retain retain a deep connection to Spanish customs, Catholicism, and architecture as well. However, one big difference is that parts of Mexico have a much drier climate than Puerto Rico. In addition, Mexico has a lower percentage of people with African heritage.
Top 5 Countries Least Similar to Puerto Rico
Interestingly enough, the five least similar countries to Puerto Rico are all located in either Asia or Africa. They have far less rule of law. In addition, their infrastructure is significantly less developed. These nations tend to have much more conservative laws than Puerto Rico.
- Eritrea is an African country with a majority Christian population. However, they are mostly Oriental Orthodox. Their people natively speak Semitic languages and use the unique Ge’ez script. The government has been a dictatorship for almost 20 years, while Puerto Rico is more democratic. Still, much of the land in both countries is located next to the coast. However, Puerto Rico is much more densely forested.
- Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Asia. The majority of its people are Muslim, and as a result, its laws are more conservative than Puerto Rico’s. However, the people of both countries do natively speak Indo-European languages. Still, Afghanistan uses the Arabic script. Like other countries on this list its climate is much drier than Puerto Rico’s. Furthermore, Afghanistan is landlocked.
- Sudan is located in the Sahara Desert and borders the Red Sea. In contrast, Puerto Rico gets a far greater amount of rainfall. It is a conservative Muslim country that does not allow alcohol, gambling, or prostitution. The majority of its people natively speak Arabic. It is also significantly less developed than Puerto Rico.
- Somalia is another country in Africa on this list. Its governmental policies, influenced by its Muslim population, are extremely conservative, compared to more liberal policies in Puerto Rico. In addition, the countries are on opposite ends of the precipitation scale, as Puerto Rico is a rainforest, while Somalia is quite dry. Still, both countries use the Latin alphabet, despite the fact that their languages are completely unrelated.
- North Korea‘s government and laws are far different from the Puerto Rico’s. Its climate is also colder and it also gets less rainfall. They have very little cultural similarity as well. Korean is completely unrelated to Spanish and they use a different system of writing. Furthermore, the country is far less religious than Puerto Rico.
Full Ranking of Countries and Territories Most Similar to Puerto Rico
All data accurate as of 2020.
Country Comparison
Most Similar Demographics: Cuba
Most Similar Culture: Dominican Republic
Most Similar Government: United States
Most Similar Infrastructure: United States
Most Similar Geography: Trinidad & Tobago
Least Similar Demographics: Niger
Least Similar Culture: Cambodia
Least Similar Government: Sudan
Least Similar Infrastructure: Democratic Republic of Congo
Least Similar Geography: Kyrgyzstan