Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
live 4.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 62.8% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
be 15.8% more likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 11.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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 23.0% fewer children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 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 28.2% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.5% more on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 24.8% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 91.8% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
live with 61.4 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
use 97.0% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 77.6% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.