Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years longer
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
be 30.7% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 19.1% more likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
have 65.4% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 77.1% 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 United Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 39.7% 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 United Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 14.7% more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 35.5% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Kingdom, about 95.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.0% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 18.7% more on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.3 times more coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
Safety
be 74.9% less likely to be murdered
Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 55.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.7 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Kingdom has 42.2 as of 2024.
live with 40.1% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
use 2.9 times more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 58.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 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. United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.