Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 17.0 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
have 64.5 times more doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cuba scores 83 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
be 62.2% more likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 85.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burkina Faso, approximately 242.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Cuba, it is 99.7% as of 2021.
be 84.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Burkina Faso, approximately 43.6 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.
have 72.5% fewer children
In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cuba, there are 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.6 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burkina Faso, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
be 90.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burkina Faso, approximately 50% of people have access to drinking water (81% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 95% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 58.3% more on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 20.3% more on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 80.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered
Burkina Faso has a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Cuba, that number is 4.5 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
find 3.6 times more home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
use 11.0 times more electricity
Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
Environment
be 63.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.1 times more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.