Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cuba instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 27.3% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cuba, that number is 23.0% of people as of 2024.
have 3.2 times more doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Cuba has 95.4 as of 2021.
live 4.8 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 30.9% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cuba spends $2,575 as of 2023.
be 8.1 times more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cuba, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 19.4% less likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cuba, that number is 1.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 11.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cuba, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 78.9% more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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 12.2% fewer children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 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 29.5% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cuba, about 70.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Cuba spends 8.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 88.7% more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.8 times more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.
Safety
be 6.5 times more likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Cuba, that number is 4.5 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
live with 98.4% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cuba withdraws 24% as of 2022.
find 92.5% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cuba has 3.1 as of 2024.
use 90.4% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cuba uses 1,462 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 55.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cuba, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 89.5% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Cuba
Cuba: At a glance
How big is Cuba compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.