Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.9 years longer

In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022. In Spain, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 3.8 times more money

Cuba has a GDP per capita of $12,300 as of 2016, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $46,400 as of 2023.

be 10.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Cuba, 1.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 12.1% as of 2023.

Life

be 92.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Cuba, approximately 39.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 40.2% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 28.3% fewer children

In Cuba, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 32.4% more likely to have internet access

In Cuba, approximately 71.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Spain, about 94.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 64.1% less on education

Cuba spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2010. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 14.4% less on healthcare

Cuba spends 12.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Spain, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 32.9% more coastline

Cuba has a total of 3,735 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

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

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.

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