Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 47.1% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cuba, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
live 9.8 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 73.9% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 94.5% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
have 41.0% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
Life
have 3.1 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.7 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.9% less likely to be literate
In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 88.9% as of 2021.
be 3.8 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 72.5% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 66.6% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.3% less coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.
Safety
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 52.3% more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
live with 97.9% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 30.0% less electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Gabon uses 1,023 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 71.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.