Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 70.9% less likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 36.4% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 16.2 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.8% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 97.8% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 49.4% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
Life
have 4.7 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.2 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.3% less likely to be literate
In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 8.3 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 56.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 77.9% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 72.1% less likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 62.5% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 66.4% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 60.8% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.0% less coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 3.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.0% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.0% less home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 91.2% less electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.9% less CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.