Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
see 5.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
be 78.2% more likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
have 61.4% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
be 13.3% more likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 51.4% 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 United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 19.1% 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 States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 23.0% more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.4% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United States, about 94.7% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.8% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 77.9% more on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.3 times more coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.6 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
use 8.8 times more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United States uses 12,839 kWh as of 2024.
live with 17.6% more strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 54.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.1 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 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. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.