Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 13.9% less likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
be 39.4% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 26.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cuba, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 15.7% of people as of 2024.
live 9.0 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 49.2% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 96.0% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 33.7% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more 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 Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.7 times 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 Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cuba, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 18.5% less likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.3% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.5 times more likely to be murdered
Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
live with 90.7% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 12.3% more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 77.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
emit 43.5% more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.