Cuba vs United States
Cuba vs United States: Military spending
Military spending: 2.88% of GDP in Cuba in 2018 and 3.12% of GDP in United States in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2018 the value was higher in United States, by 0.43 percentage points, or 1.15 times that in Cuba.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- United States has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2009.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Cuba | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | 3.12 |
| 2024 | – | 3.43 |
| 2023 | – | 3.29 |
| 2022 | – | 3.3 |
| 2021 | – | 3.4 |
| 2020 | – | 3.64 |
| 2019 | – | 3.41 |
| 2018 | 2.88 | 3.3 |
| 2017 | 2.87 | 3.3 |
| 2016 | 3.07 | 3.4 |
| 2015 | 3.08 | 3.46 |
| 2014 | 3.54 | 3.68 |
| 2013 | 3.51 | 4.02 |
| 2012 | 3.94 | 4.46 |
| 2011 | 3.09 | 4.82 |
| 2010 | 3.33 | 4.9 |
| 2009 | 3.38 | 4.88 |
| 2008 | – | 4.45 |
| 2007 | – | 4.07 |
| 2006 | – | 4.04 |
| 2005 | – | 4.09 |
| 2004 | – | 4.02 |
| 2003 | – | 3.83 |
| 2002 | – | 3.45 |
| 2001 | – | 3.12 |
| 2000 | – | 3.11 |
| 1999 | – | 3.09 |
| 1998 | – | 3.2 |
| 1997 | – | 3.41 |
| 1996 | – | 3.56 |
| 1995 | – | 3.86 |
| 1994 | – | 4.22 |
| 1993 | – | 4.6 |
| 1992 | – | 4.97 |
| 1991 | – | 4.88 |
| 1990 | – | 5.61 |
| 1989 | – | 5.87 |
| 1988 | – | 6.07 |
| 1987 | – | 6.42 |
| 1986 | – | 6.63 |
| 1985 | – | 6.45 |
| 1984 | – | 6.24 |
| 1983 | – | 6.32 |
| 1982 | – | 6.81 |
| 1981 | – | 5.65 |
| 1980 | – | 5.15 |
| 1979 | – | 4.95 |
| 1978 | – | 4.94 |
| 1977 | – | 5.16 |
| 1976 | – | 5.19 |
| 1975 | – | 5.62 |
| 1974 | – | 5.95 |
| 1973 | – | 5.89 |
| 1972 | – | 6.52 |
| 1971 | – | 6.94 |
| 1970 | – | 8.03 |
| 1969 | – | 8.63 |
| 1968 | – | 9.27 |
| 1967 | – | 9.42 |
| 1966 | – | 8.44 |
| 1965 | – | 7.59 |
| 1964 | – | 8.05 |
| 1963 | – | 8.83 |
| 1962 | – | 9.33 |
| 1961 | – | 9.16 |
| 1960 | – | 8.99 |
| 1959 | – | 9.44 |
| 1958 | – | 10.07 |
| 1957 | – | 9.99 |
| 1956 | – | 9.9 |
| 1955 | – | 10.16 |
| 1954 | – | 11.74 |
| 1953 | – | 13.58 |
| 1952 | – | 13.86 |
| 1951 | – | 10.17 |
| 1950 | – | 5.08 |
| 1949 | – | 5.27 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 151 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Cuba vs United States
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 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