Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
have 3.7 times more doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
be 49.9% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.4 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
see 49.3% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
Economy
be 34.7% less likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
have 83.4% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cuba, there are 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, 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 3.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 28.0% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.0% more on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 54.8% more coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 21.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 71.9% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
find 93.6% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
use 87.1% less electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 83.2% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 63.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 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: South Korea vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.