Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
live 6.6 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 94.5% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 98.3% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 43.4% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
be 14.1% more likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.9 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 Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.8% less likely to be literate
In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 88.0% as of 2023.
be 2.1 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 Vanuatu, on the other hand, 14.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.4% 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 Vanuatu, that number is 62% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 56.1% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 32.3% less coastline
Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Safety
be 92.6% less likely to be murdered
Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.3 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 62.3% less home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 54.5% less CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 83.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.