Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
live 5.6 years longer
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 33.4% less likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.
see 91.6% more spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.
be 36.8% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 55.0% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 5.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 91.4% 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 Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 61.8% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.
have 24.6% fewer children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 35.9% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Spain, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.6% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 32.9% more coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.
Safety
be 35.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.7 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.
use 3.6 times more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.
live with 80.7% more strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Spain
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.