Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
live 4.0 years longer
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 62.5% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
be 33.1% more likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.6% 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 Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 54.4% less 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 Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 35.9% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belgium, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.6% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 15.1% more on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.2% less coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 75.8% less likely to be murdered
Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 14.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 14.4 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
use 4.9 times more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Belgium uses 7,099 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.