Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
live 5.5 years longer
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 17.9% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
have 7.4 times more doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
have 40.7% more access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cuba scores 83 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 62.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.4% more likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Cuba, it is 99.7% as of 2021.
be 60.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Cuba, on the other hand, 6.8 children do as of 2024.
have 58.2% fewer children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cuba, there are 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.0% more likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.7 times more on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 37.9% more on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.3 times more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 57.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 99.4% more electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
find 42.3% less home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
live with 4.2 times more strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
Environment
be 22.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 72.1% more CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.