Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 50.5% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 8.1 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 50.9% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 79.8% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 85.7% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 2.4 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.5 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 64.1% less likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 49.2% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 41.4% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 48.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.5% more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
use 90.0% more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Turkmenistan uses 2,778 kWh as of 2023.
live with 5.6 times more strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.7 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.