Compare
Cuba vs United States
How Cuba and United States compare on 31 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, United States was higher: 79.3 years against 78.1 years
- GDP per person · In 2024, United States was higher: $66,860 against $7,381
- Population · In 2023, United States was higher: 344 million people against 11 million people
- Military spending · In 2018, United States was higher: 3.3% of GDP against 2.88% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, United States was higher: 13.62 tonnes against 1.91 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyCuba: 78.1 years in 2023United States: 79.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityCuba: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024United States: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityCuba: 4.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023United States: 5.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionCuba: 3.32% in 2017United States: 4.84% in 2017
- Suicide rateCuba: 11.3 per 100,000 people in 2017United States: 12.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationCuba: 11 million people in 2023United States: 344 million people in 2023
- Population growthCuba: -0.35% a year in 2023United States: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateCuba: 1.44 births per woman in 2023United States: 1.62 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationCuba: 77.2% in 2025United States: 80.2% in 2025
- Median ageCuba: 41.7 years in 2023United States: 38 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overCuba: 16.2% in 2023United States: 17.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateCuba: -2.1 per 1,000 people in 2023United States: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingCuba: 2.88% of GDP in 2018United States: 3.12% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending per personCuba: $11 in 2018United States: $2,755 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelCuba: 76,000 people in 2020United States: 1.4 million people in 2020
- National powerCuba: 0.11% of world capability in 2022United States: 12.36% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersCuba: 1.54% of the labour force in 2020United States: 0.84% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsCuba: 8 million TIV in 2004United States: 745 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsCuba: 8 million TIV in 1980United States: 14 billion TIV in 2025
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, IHME, World Bank, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time