Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years longer
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 60.7% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 84.5% more likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 68.6% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.2% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 33.9% fewer children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.9% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 49.4% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 86.6% less coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 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 Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 9.1 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 18.4% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.