Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Cuba instead of Colombia, you would:

Health

see 46.5% more spent on your healthcare

Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 3.8 times more doctors per person

Colombia has 25.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 78.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 40.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Colombia, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 35.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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.

View global rankings →

have 34.9% fewer children

In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cuba, there are 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 11.2% less likely to have internet access

In Colombia, approximately 79.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 60.5% more on education

Colombia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 15.2% more on healthcare

Colombia spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 16.4% more coastline

Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 66.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 82.1% less home broadband

Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 6.6 times more strain on fresh water

Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 29.2% more likely to die from air pollution

In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Colombia vs. Cuba

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Cuba is 38.8% cheaper than Colombia overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Colombia is about 10 times bigger than Cuba.
→
Moving from Colombia to Cuba · UN DESA 2020
42 people born in Colombia live in Cuba.
→

Cuba: At a glance

Cuba is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 109,820 sq km. The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. Subsequently, the 1901 Platt Amendment to the Cuban constitution authorized the US to intevene in Cuba in the event of instability. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from the US in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4-6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source if its difficulties. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the US's southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard interdicted 1,357 Cuban nationals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in 2013. Also in 2013, 14,251 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry through out the US.
Read more

How big is Cuba compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Cuba or Colombia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.