Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 5.8 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 42.1% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
see 3.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
have 9.3 times more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
have 40.7% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cuba scores 83 as of 2021.
be 4.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 88.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 47.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.6% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 99.7% as of 2021.
be 66.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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 66.3% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 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 13.5% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 69.6% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 64.4 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 74.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 59.8% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
find 82.5% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
Environment
be 64.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 63.1% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 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), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.