Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 10.4 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 5.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
have 12.7 times more doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
have 59.6% more access to essential health services
Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cuba scores 83 as of 2021.
be 6.4 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 81.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.7% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Cuba, it is 99.7% as of 2021.
be 80.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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 60.4% fewer children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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 73.0% more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 61.1% more on education
Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 5.3 times more coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 55.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 308.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
live with 15.3% less strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
Environment
be 49.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.