Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Cuba instead of Tuvalu, you would:

Health

live 11.0 years longer

In Tuvalu, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 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.

View global rankings →

be 64.7% less likely to be obese

In Tuvalu, 65.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 54.1% more spent on your healthcare

Tuvalu spends $1,671 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 7.1 times more doctors per person

Tuvalu has 13.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

have 59.6% more access to essential health services

Tuvalu scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cuba scores 83 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Life

be 79.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Tuvalu, approximately 170.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 58.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Tuvalu, approximately 16.5 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.

View global rankings →

have 60.8% fewer children

In Tuvalu, there are approximately 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cuba, there are 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 13.2% less likely to have internet access

In Tuvalu, approximately 81.2% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 34.3% less on education

Tuvalu spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 65.4% less on healthcare

Tuvalu spends 27.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 155.6 times more coastline

Tuvalu has a total of 24 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 69.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Tuvalu, road accidents kill 17.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cuba, they kill 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 31.9% less home broadband

Tuvalu has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2020–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Tuvalu vs. Cuba

Cost of Living Comparison · 3 categories - 2026 data
Cuba is 22.0% cheaper than Tuvalu overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Tuvalu is about 4,264 times smaller than Cuba.
→
Moving from Tuvalu to Cuba · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Cuba: At a glance

Cuba is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 109,820 sq km. The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. Subsequently, the 1901 Platt Amendment to the Cuban constitution authorized the US to intevene in Cuba in the event of instability. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from the US in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4-6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source if its difficulties. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the US's southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard interdicted 1,357 Cuban nationals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in 2013. Also in 2013, 14,251 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry through out the US.
Read more

How big is Cuba compared to Tuvalu? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Cuba or Tuvalu. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.