Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Cuba instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 97.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Cuba, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.

live 14.3 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Cuba, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.

be 13.1% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Cuba, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 95.9% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Cuba, that number is 1.2% as of 2023.

make 14.0% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Cuba, the GDP per capita is $12,300 as of 2016.

Life

be 69.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Cuba, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 84.0% less likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Cuba, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2022.

have 44.1% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cuba, there are 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 86% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Cuba, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 93.9% more on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Cuba spends 12.8% of total GDP on education as of 2010.

spend 45.3% more on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Cuba, that number is 12.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 33.5% more coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Cuba, that number is 3,735 km.

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

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.
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