Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.9 years longer

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

be 15.4% less likely to be obese

In Cuba, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Portugal, that number is 20.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.4 times more money

Cuba has a GDP per capita of $12,300 as of 2016, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $41,700 as of 2023.

be 5.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Cuba, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.

Life

be 69.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Cuba, approximately 39.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Portugal, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

be 39.5% less 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 Portugal, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 18.2% fewer children

In Cuba, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 15.5% more likely to have internet access

In Cuba, approximately 71.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Portugal, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 60.9% less on education

Cuba spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2010. Portugal spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 15.2% less on healthcare

Cuba spends 12.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 10.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 52.0% less coastline

Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.

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

Portugal: At a glance

Portugal is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 91,470 sq km. Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
Read more

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

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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