Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Namibia, you would:
Health
be 93.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Namibia, 9.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 10.7 years longer
In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 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 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Namibia spends $1,068 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
have 17.3 times more doctors per person
Namibia has 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
have 31.7% more access to essential health services
Namibia scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cuba scores 83 as of 2021.
be 25.8% more likely to be obese
In Namibia, 18.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
be 60.5% more likely to die by suicide
Namibia 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 90.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Namibia, 19.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 74.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Namibia, approximately 139.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.8% more likely to be literate
In Namibia, the literacy rate is 87.6% as of 2023. In Cuba, it is 99.7% as of 2021.
be 81.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Namibia, approximately 36.4 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 66.7% fewer children
In Namibia, there are approximately 25.9 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 76.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Namibia, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.4 times more coastline
Namibia has a total of 1,572 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 60.2% less likely to be murdered
Namibia has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, that number is 4.5 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 75.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Namibia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 18.6% more electricity
Namibia uses 1,232 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
live with 77.2 times more strain on fresh water
Namibia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
Environment
be 27.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Namibia, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 59.2% more CO2
Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Namibia vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.