Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 17.6% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
have 2.5 times more doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
live 4.8 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 70.6% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
be 61.3% more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 8.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 100.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 13.8% fewer children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 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 27.5% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.9 times more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 36.9% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.6 times more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 92.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 90.5% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
use 76.8% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 68.4% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.