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

Health

live 1.5 years longer

In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 80.1% less likely to die by suicide

Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Albania, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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see 43.1% less spent on your healthcare

Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

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have 80.3% fewer doctors per person

Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

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have 22.9% less access to essential health services

Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Albania scores 64 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 6.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Albania, that number is 10.9% as of 2025.

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Life

be 80.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Cuba, approximately 35.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Albania, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 17.5% more children

In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Albania, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 22.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Cuba, approximately 6.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Albania, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 21.8% more likely to have internet access

In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Albania, about 85.9% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 63.4% less on education

Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Albania spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 24.8% less on healthcare

Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 90.3% less coastline

Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Albania, that number is 362 km.

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Safety

be 100.0% more likely to die in a road accident

In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Albania, they kill 10.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 8.1 times more home broadband

Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Albania has 24.9 as of 2024.

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live with 80.0% less strain on fresh water

Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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use 97.8% more electricity

Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Albania uses 2,892 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 90.3% more likely to die from air pollution

In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Albania, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
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How big is Albania compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.

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