Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Iran, you would:
Health
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
have 5.3 times more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
have 12.2% more access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cuba scores 83 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 12.1% more likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Cuba, it is 99.7% as of 2021.
be 34.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
have 31.4% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 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 17.4% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.0 times more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 55.6% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 53.1% more coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 73.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 70.5% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
find 74.5% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
use 61.7% less electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 39.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 78.9% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.