Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 89.6% less likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
be 47.1% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vietnam, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.5 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
see 73.2% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vietnam spends $690 as of 2023.
have 88.4% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Vietnam has 11.1 as of 2021.
have 18.1% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vietnam scores 68 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 55.7% more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vietnam, there are 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 37.1% 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 Vietnam, 48.0 women do as of 2023.
be 76.5% 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 Vietnam, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 19.4% more likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vietnam, about 84.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.8% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Vietnam spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 51.4% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vietnam, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.7 times more home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.
live with 24.3% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Vietnam withdraws 18% as of 2022.
use 76.9% more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 67.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vietnam, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Vietnam
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.