Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Cuba, you would:

Health

live 2.0 years longer

In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 2.8 times more money

Cuba has a GDP per capita of $12,300 as of 2016, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $34,300 as of 2022.

be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Cuba, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2022.

Life

be 46.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Cuba, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

have 21.2% fewer children

In Cuba, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 71.9% less on education

Cuba spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2010. Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 86.6% less coastline

Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Puerto Rico: At a glance

Puerto Rico is a territory in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 8,959 sq km. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status with the US, but the results of a 2012 vote left open the possibility of American statehood.
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How big is Puerto Rico compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.

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