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

Health

be 30.2% less likely to be obese

In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.

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be 38.4% less likely to die by suicide

Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 4.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Cuba, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 14.3 years less

In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 90.4% less spent on your healthcare

Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.

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have 98.6% fewer doctors per person

Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.

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have 47.0% less access to essential health services

Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.9 times more children

In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cameroon, there are 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 7.4 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 Cameroon, 258.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 27.2% less likely to be literate

In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Cameroon, it is 72.5% as of 2018.

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be 5.9 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 Cameroon, on the other hand, 40.2 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 28.0% 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 Cameroon, that number is 72% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 34.4% less likely to have internet access

In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.

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be 25.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Cuba, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 71% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 66.4% less on education

Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 51.5% less on healthcare

Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 89.2% less coastline

Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.

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Safety

be 51.6% more likely to be murdered

Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 96.3% more likely to die in a road accident

In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 93.5% less strain on fresh water

Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 30.8% less home broadband

Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.

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use 84.5% less electricity

Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 81.7% less CO2

Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 3.3 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Cameroon: At a glance

Cameroon is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 472,710 sq km. French Cameroon became independent in 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon. The following year the southern portion of neighboring British Cameroon voted to merge with the new country to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. In 1972, a new constitution replaced the federation with a unitary state, the United Republic of Cameroon. The country has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.
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How big is Cameroon compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.

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