Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 28.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cuba, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 12.0 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 38.3% more likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 31.8% of people as of 2024.
see 47.4% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 91.7% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 14.5% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 61.7% more likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.4 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 South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.6 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 South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.2% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
be 12.3% 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 South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 28.7% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 25.1% less coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 9.8 times more likely to be murdered
Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 4.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 73.7% more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 2.2 times more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
live with 2.8 times more strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.6 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 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. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.