Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 49.6% less likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 48.3% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 15.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cuba, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 11.7 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 90.5% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 96.6% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 32.5% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
have 3.8 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.4 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 Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.0% less likely to be literate
In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 5.1 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 Zambia, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.9% 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 Zambia, that number is 51% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 75.7% less likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cuba, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 73% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 51.8% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.2% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 88.1% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 74.4% less home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 50.3% less electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 71.7% less CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 61.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.