Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 35.1% less likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
be 42.3% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 19.3 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.0% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 67.5% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
Life
have 4.9 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 16.1 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 Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.7% less likely to be literate
In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 9.6 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 Somalia, on the other hand, 65.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cuba, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 50% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 60.4% less likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 20.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cuba, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 75% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.1% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 19.0% less coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 3.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 76.6% less home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 97.4% less CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Somalia, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
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. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.