Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
be 13.6% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 54.2% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
Life
be 91.4% 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 Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 69.1% 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 Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.
have 29.9% more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 39.3% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.4% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 33.1% more coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 55.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.2 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 98.4% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 33.5 times more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 74.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.5 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.