Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
live 3.8 years longer
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 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 New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 48.0% more likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
have 62.2% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
Economy
be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 80.0% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.2% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 28.0% more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 32.7% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.3% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.1 times more coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 67.3% less likely to be murdered
Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 22.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.4 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 66.4% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 5.5 times more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 61.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.1 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.