Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
have 2.5 times more doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
live 3.7 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 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 56.4% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
see 68.6% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
be 19.9% more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% 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 Netherlands, 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 Netherlands, 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.
Basic Needs
be 27.3% less likely to have internet access
In Netherlands, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 62.9% more on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 8.3 times more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 58.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.8% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
live with 43.7% more strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
use 77.1% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 71.1% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 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 Netherlands, 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: Netherlands vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.