Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
have 2.7 times more doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
be 24.9% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.0 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 10.2% more likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
see 65.6% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
Economy
be 70.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 8.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Cuba, on the other hand, 6.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 26.4% less likely to have internet access
In Belgium, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.1% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 34.4% more on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 56.2 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 4.1 times more likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, that number is 4.5 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 17.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 54.7% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
find 93.0% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
use 79.4% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 73.9% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.