Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 78.5% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.8 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 72.7% more likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 67.3% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 89.3% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 28.9% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 8.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 88.6% 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 Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.7% less likely to be literate
In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 3.0 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 Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.6% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.0% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.4% less coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 4.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.7 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.