Cuba (Republic of Cuba)

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Cuba Republic of Cuba
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	62nd best
Capital	Havana
Land Area	106 440km²₁
Location	North America, The Americas, The Caribbean
Population	11.3m₂
Life Expectancy	79.57yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$7 455 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	CU, CUB, 192₅
Internet Domain	.cu₆
Currency	Peso (CUP)₇
Telephone	+53₈

1. Overview

“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. 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 billion to $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 1,275 Cuban nationals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in 2012.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Trapped in a time-warp, Cuba is like a prince in a poor man´s coat. Behind the sometimes shabby facades of communist but culturally rich Cuba, gold dust lingers. Cuba is a country with no historical precedents: economically poor, but culturally rich; visibly mildewed, but architecturally magnificent; infuriating, yet at the same time, strangely uplifting.
Halfway between the US in the north and Latin America in the south, Cuba has long struggled to work out where it fits in. Yet, as a former Spanish colony liberally colored with French, African, American, Jamaican, and indigenous Taíno influences, there´s no denying the breadth of its historical heritage. When Castro pressed the pause button on economic development in the 1960s, he inadvertently saved many endangered traditions and important historical heirlooms.
It is the Cubans themselves who have kept the country alive as the infrastructure crumbled: survivors and improvisers, poets and dreamers, cynics and sages. It is also they who have ensured that Cuba continues to be the fascinating, perplexing, paradoxical nation it is.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Cuba National and Social Development

#economics #human_development

UN HDI (2016)₁₁
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₁₁
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
65	Trinidad & Tobago	65
66	Costa Rica	66
67	Serbia	66
68	Cuba	68
69	Iran	69
70	Georgia	70
71	Turkey	71
72	Venezuela	71
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2011)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₂
1	Qatar	$129 916
2	Singapore	$78 162
3	Kuwait	$76 075
	...
113	Paraguay	$8 182
114	El Salvador	$7 732
115	Swaziland	$7 522
116	Cuba	$7 455
117	Belize	$7 375
118	Ukraine	$7 361
119	Morocco	$7 195
120	Bhutan	$7 081
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃_,₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃_,₁₄
1	Taiwan	30.2
2	Denmark	30.5
3	Norway	30.9
	...
59	Barbados	74.5
60	Ukraine	75.2
61	Armenia	76.1
62	Cuba	76.2
63	Macedonia	76.4
64	Trinidad & Tobago	76.4
65	Tunisia	76.9
66	Panama	76.9
	World Avg	86.4
q=195.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Cuba's Demographics

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

Cuba's population is predicted to fall to 10 983 000 by 2030. Developed countries with falling populations face a pension's crises, whereby an incresingly ageing population must be cared for by fewer and fewer workers. Economic stability can be maintained by increasing foreign workers from younger countries. This country has a fertility rate of 1.45. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population (2018)₂
Pos.		Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
77	Benin	11.5m
78	Belgium	11.5m
79	Bolivia	11.4m
80	Cuba	11.3m
81	Burundi	11.2m
82	Haiti	11.1m
83	S. Sudan	11.0m
84	Czechia	10.7m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
31	Cyprus	80.33
32	Liechtenstein	80.16
33	Costa Rica	79.61
34	Cuba	79.57
35	Lebanon	79.54
36	USA	79.22
37	Brunei	79.02
38	Czechia	78.78
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₅
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₅
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
89	Italy	1.47
90	Cyprus	1.46
91	Moldova	1.46
92	Cuba	1.45
93	India	2.55
94	Germany	1.44
95	Laos	2.58
96	Malaysia	2.58
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₆
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₆
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
156	Barbados	35.6
157	Lithuania	36.0
158	Czechia	36.1
159	Cuba	36.2
160	Poland	36.3
161	Singapore	36.5
162	Latvia	36.7
163	Sweden	37.0
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
188	N. Korea	0.2%
189	Sri Lanka	0.2%
190	Myanmar (Burma)	0.1%
191	Madagascar	0.1%
192	Indonesia	0.1%
193	Cuba	0.1%
194	Vietnam	0.1%
195	China	0.1%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
57	Jordan	11.3%
58	Kyrgyzstan	11.2%
59	Tajikistan	11.2%
60	Cuba	10.9%
61	Mauritius	10.9%
62	Greece	10.8%
63	Mexico	10.7%
64	Andorra	10.7%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#cuba #human_rights

Cuba is one of those countries where 'compliance with international human rights standards would mean removal of those in power'₁₉. When it comes to press and media freedom, Cuba is one of the worst 5 countries in the world₂₀.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Cuba

5. Cuba's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #Cuba #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Health (2020)₂₁_,₂₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₁_,₂₂
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
34	Iceland	76.0
35	Greece	76.1
36	Netherlands	76.4
37	Cuba	76.4
38	UAE	76.6
39	Antigua & Barbuda	77.7
40	Myanmar (Burma)	78.3
41	Belgium	78.4
42	Eritrea	78.4
	World Avg	92.3
q=187.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Hong Kong, Singapore and The Maldives₂₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₁.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and Europe₂₁, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₂₁.

Health:

Cuba does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Cuba comes in the best 20 in its fertility rate₁₅ (the best in The Americas) and in its immunizations take-up₂₃ (one of the highest in The Americas). It does better than average when it comes to its average life expectancy₁₂ and in its alcohol consumption rate₂₄. Cuba does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average when it comes to its suicide rate₂₅ (amongst the highest in The Americas), its adolescent birth rate₂₆ (still low for The Americas) and in its smoking rate₂₇ (the highest in The Americas). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
31	Cyprus	80.33
32	Liechtenstein	80.16
33	Costa Rica	79.61
34	Cuba	79.57
35	Lebanon	79.54
36	USA	79.22
37	Brunei	79.02
38	Czechia	78.78
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₂₄
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₂₄
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
90	Haiti	5.8
91	Colombia	5.8
92	Nauru	6.0
93	Cuba	6.1
94	Kyrgyzstan	6.2
95	Guyana	6.3
96	Peru	6.3
97	Bosnia & Herzegovina	6.4
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₅
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₅
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
89	Italy	1.47
90	Cyprus	1.46
91	Moldova	1.46
92	Cuba	1.45
93	India	2.55
94	Germany	1.44
95	Laos	2.58
96	Malaysia	2.58
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₂₇
Pos.		Higher is worse₂₇
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
148	Poland	1 396
147	Netherlands	1 396
146	Saudi Arabia	1 395
145	Cuba	1 392
144	Georgia	1 378
143	Denmark	1 378
142	Argentina	1 359
141	Israel	1 346
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₂₅
Pos.		Per 100k₂₅
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
59	Norway	23.8
60	Denmark	23.9
61	Germany	23.9
62	Cuba	24.5
63	Romania	24.5
64	Bulgaria	25
65	Sweden	25.5
66	Slovakia	25.7
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Overweight Adults (2016)₂₈
Pos.		Lower is better %₂₈
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
123	Norway	58.3
124	Poland	58.3
125	Ukraine	58.4
126	Cuba	58.5
127	Italy	58.5
128	Luxembourg	58.7
129	Panama	58.8
130	Suriname	58.9
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₆
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
100	Antigua & Barbuda	44.8
101	Fiji	44.8
102	S. Africa	45.5
103	Cuba	45.6
104	Suriname	46.1
105	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	46.6
106	Chile	47.8
107	Solomon Islands	48.4
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₂₃
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₂₃
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
15	Luxembourg	98.0
16	Oman	98.0
17	Antigua & Barbuda	98.0
18	Cuba	97.9
19	Belgium	97.8
20	Thailand	97.8
21	Mauritius	97.6
22	Fiji	97.6
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Cuba's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #modernity #politics #research #science #technology #the_internet

Modernity and Learning (2020)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₉
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
89	Seychelles	69.8
90	Morocco	70.0
91	Grenada	70.5
92	Cuba	71.2
93	Jordan	71.8
94	Lebanon	71.9
95	Mauritius	72.0
96	Venezuela	72.3
97	Belize	72.7
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₃₀
2	Israel	4.11₃₀
3	Japan	3.58₃₀
	...
61	Cyprus	0.48₃₁
62	Costa Rica	0.47₃₂
63	Qatar	0.47₃₃
64	Cuba	0.47₃₁
65	Macedonia	0.44₃₁
66	Puerto Rico	0.44₃₁
67	Jordan	0.43₃₄
68	Mozambique	0.42₃₅
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₃₆
Pos.		Higher is better₃₆
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
	...
47	Bahamas	88.4%
48	Ireland	88.3%
49	Netherlands	88.3%
50	Cuba	87.4%
51	Poland	85.3%
52	Belgium	84.8%
53	UK	84.5%
54	Jordan	84.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2018)₃₇
Pos.		Higher is better Years₃₇
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
68	Slovakia	14.5
69	Fiji	14.4
70	Brunei	14.4
71	Cuba	14.4
72	Tonga	14.3
73	Mexico	14.3
74	Romania	14.3
75	Luxembourg	14.2
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

IQ (2006)₃₈
Pos.		Higher is better₃₈
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
72	Yemen	85
73	Trinidad & Tobago	85
74	Peru	85
75	Cuba	85
76	Venezuela	84
77	Colombia	84
78	Jordan	84
79	Afghanistan	84
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

“The government controls virtually all media outlets in Cuba and restricts access to outside information. A small number of [independent] journalists and bloggers... manage to write articles for websites or blogs, or publish tweets. The government routinely blocks access within Cuba to these websites and only a fraction of Cubans can read independent websites and blogs because of the high cost of, and limited access to, the internet. In September 2017, Cuba announced it would gradually extend the home internet service to all the provinces in the country.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₃₉

Internet Users (2016)₄₀
Pos.		Higher is better₄₀
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
127	India	35%
128	Kyrgyzstan	34%
129	Egypt	33%
130	Cuba	32%
131	Micronesia	31%
132	Vanuatu	31%
133	Syria	30%
134	Sri Lanka	29%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet (2012)₄₁
Pos.		Lower is better₄₁
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
	...
40	Vietnam	73
41	Ethiopia	75
42	Myanmar (Burma)	75
43	Uzbekistan	77
44	Syria	83
45	China	85
46	Cuba	86
47	Iran	90
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₄₂
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₄₂
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
166	Lebanon	0.0
167	St Lucia	0.0
168	Dominica	0.0
169	Cuba	0.0
170	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.0
171	Montenegro	0.0
172	Libya	0.0
173	Jamaica	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#corruption #politics

Corruption (2012-2016)₄₃
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₄₃
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
58	Bahrain	48.4
59	Croatia	48.4
60	Saudi Arabia	47.4
61	Cuba	46.8
62	Oman	45.8
63	Ghana	45.8
64	Turkey	45.4
65	Lesotho	45.2
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#human_development #peace #politics

Global Peace Index (2012)₄₄
Pos.		Lower is better₄₄
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
67	Albania	1.93
68	Macedonia	1.94
69	Guyana	1.94
70	Cuba	1.95
71	Ukraine	1.95
72	Tunisia	1.96
73	Cyprus	1.96
74	Gambia	1.96
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₄₅
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
7	Vietnam	65.6
8	Ireland	62.2
9	Tunisia	61.9
10	Cuba	56.9
11	Cape Verde	55.7
12	Rwanda	50.9
13	Bhutan	34.7
14	Azerbaijan	34.6
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better₄₆
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
52	Russia	63.8
53	Brunei	63.6
54	Morocco	63.5
55	Cuba	63.4
56	Panama	62.7
57	Tonga	62.5
58	Tunisia	62.4
59	Azerbaijan	62.3
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.		Earlier is better Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
48	Paraguay	1994 May 25
49	Hungary	1994 May 25
50	Brazil	1994 May 29
51	Cuba	1994 Jun 06
52	Namibia	1997 Aug 14
53	Sri Lanka	1994 Jun 21
54	Ethiopia	1994 Jul 04
55	Dominica	1994 Jul 05
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is worse₄₇
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
	...
42	Latvia	5.40
41	Bosnia & Herzegovina	5.40
40	UAE	5.20
39	Cuba	5.10
38	Slovakia	5.00
37	Serbia	4.90
36	Malta	4.60
35	Canada	4.60
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Disbelief In God (2007)₄₈
Pos.		Higher is better %₄₈
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
9	Netherlands	42
10	Germany	42
11	UK	42
12	Cuba	40
13	Slovenia	35
14	Bulgaria	34
15	Hungary	32
16	Norway	31
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₄₉:

Christian	59.2%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.2%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	17.4%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	23%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: nominally Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Santeria. note: prior to CASTRO assuming power₅₀.

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