Cuba (Republic of Cuba)

http://www.humantruth.info/cuba.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Cuba Republic of Cuba
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	82nd best
Capital	Havana
Land Area	106 440km²₁
Location	North America, The Americas, The Caribbean
Population	11.3m₂
Life Expectancy	73.68yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$7 879 (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 #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₁
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
4	Hong Kong	0.952
5	Australia	0.951
	...
80	Moldova	0.767
81	Dominican Rep.	0.767
82	Palau	0.767
83	Cuba	0.764
84	Peru	0.762
85	Armenia	0.759
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
4	Luxembourg	$84 649
5	Ireland	$76 169
	...
118	El Salvador	$8 296
119	Bolivia	$8 111
120	Uzbekistan	$7 917
121	Cuba	$7 879
122	Vietnam	$7 867
123	Laos	$7 700
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂_,₁₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂_,₁₃
1	Taiwan	28.6
2	Norway	29.4
3	Denmark	31.2
4	Sweden	32.2
5	Finland	32.6
	...
79	Bhutan	80.5
80	Philippines	80.8
81	Colombia	81.5
82	Cuba	81.8
83	Russia	82.3
84	Jordan	82.4
	The Americas Avg	81.6
	World Avg	86.1
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 and Migration

#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. 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
4	Indonesia	267.7m
5	Pakistan	212.2m
	...
77	Benin	11.5m
78	Belgium	11.5m
79	Bolivia	11.4m
80	Cuba	11.3m
81	Burundi	11.2m
82	Haiti	11.1m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
73	Nicaragua	73.8
74	Tunisia	73.8
75	Lithuania	73.7
76	Cuba	73.7
77	Ecuador	73.7
78	Vietnam	73.6
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
89	Italy	1.47
90	Cyprus	1.46
91	Moldova	1.46
92	Cuba	1.45
93	India	2.55
94	Germany	1.44
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
4	Burkina Faso	04.7
5	Sierra Leone	04.8
	...
156	Barbados	35.6
157	Lithuania	36.0
158	Czechia	36.1
159	Cuba	36.2
160	Poland	36.3
161	Singapore	36.5
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₆
Pos.		%₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
4	Liechtenstein	65.1%
5	Monaco	54.9%
	...
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)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
	...
57	Jordan	11.3%
58	Kyrgyzstan	11.2%
59	Tajikistan	11.2%
60	Cuba	10.9%
61	Mauritius	10.9%
62	Greece	10.8%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#cuba #equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₈_,₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈_,₁₉
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
4	Netherlands	15.8
5	New Zealand	17.5
	...
112	Benin	95.9
113	Tanzania	95.9
114	India	96.9
115	Cuba	97.7
116	Kazakhstan	97.9
117	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	98.6
	The Americas Avg	74.2
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

When it comes to press and media freedom, Cuba is one of the worst 5 countries in the world₂₀; it's one of those countries where 'compliance with international human rights standards would mean removal of those in power'₂₁. .

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

Compared to The Americas (2020)₂₂_,₂₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₂_,₂₃
1	Antigua & Barbuda	75.6
2	Brazil	82.1
3	Cuba	82.4
4	Canada	83.5
5	Barbados	85.1
6	Grenada	86.6
7	Trinidad & Tobago	86.6
8	Guyana	87.5
9	Nicaragua	87.5
10	St Lucia	88.9
11	Ecuador	90.5
12	El Salvador	90.5
13	St Kitts & Nevis	91.8
	The Americas Avg	96.2
q=35.

Health (2020)₂₂_,₂₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₂_,₂₃
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Hong Kong	18.3
3	Maldives	41.0
4	Singapore	42.6
5	Japan	51.0
	...
53	Solomon Islands	82.0
54	Israel	82.1
55	Brazil	82.1
56	Cuba	82.4
57	Macedonia	82.5
58	Croatia	82.9
59	Turkmenistan	83.1
	World Avg	93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives₂₂. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau₂₂.

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 The Mediterranean₂₂, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa₂₂.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Cuba does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Cuba comes in the best 20 in terms of its fertility rate₁₄ (the best in The Americas) and in its immunizations take-up₂₄ (one of the best in The Americas). It does better than average in its average life expectancy₁₁ and in its alcohol consumption rate₂₅. Cuba doesn't do so well in other areas. Cuba does worse than average when it comes to its suicide rate₂₆ (one of the highest in The Americas), its adolescent birth rate₂₇ (still good for The Americas) and in its smoking rate₂₈ (the worst in The Americas). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
4	Australia	84.5
5	Switzerland	84.0
	...
73	Nicaragua	73.8
74	Tunisia	73.8
75	Lithuania	73.7
76	Cuba	73.7
77	Ecuador	73.7
78	Vietnam	73.6
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₂₅
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₂₅
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
4	Mauritania	0.0
5	Somalia	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
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₄
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₄
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
	...
89	Italy	1.47
90	Cyprus	1.46
91	Moldova	1.46
92	Cuba	1.45
93	India	2.55
94	Germany	1.44
	The Americas Avg	2.29
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₂₈
Pos.		Higher is worse₂₈
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
179	Macedonia	2 732
178	Russia	2 690
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	457
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)₂₆
Pos.		Per 100k₂₆
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
4	Jordan	0.2
5	Maldives	0.7
	...
59	Norway	23.8
60	Denmark	23.9
61	Germany	23.9
62	Cuba	24.5
63	Romania	24.5
64	Bulgaria	25
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Overweight Adults (2016)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better %₂₉
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
4	Ethiopia	20.9
5	Nepal	21.0
	...
123	Norway	58.3
124	Poland	58.3
125	Ukraine	58.4
126	Cuba	58.5
127	Italy	58.5
128	Luxembourg	58.7
	The Americas Avg	57.4
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₇
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₇
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	56.6
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₂₄
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₂₄
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
4	Niue	98.8
5	Mongolia	98.7
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Cuba's Modernity and Learning

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

Compared to The Americas (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Canada	21.6
2	USA	29.3
3	Argentina	43.8
4	Chile	51.6
5	Barbados	54.2
	...
16	Aruba	71.5
17	Colombia	77.1
18	Bahamas	80.0
19	Cuba	80.3
20	Cayman Islands	82.0
21	Dominican Rep.	83.4
22	Dominica	83.8
	The Americas Avg	81.7
q=41.

Modernity and Learning (2020)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Finland	8.4
2	Taiwan	10.0
3	Switzerland	15.1
4	Estonia	15.8
5	Denmark	16.0
	...
96	Sri Lanka	79.6
97	Kenya	79.8
98	Bahamas	80.0
99	Cuba	80.3
100	Fiji	80.8
101	Jordan	81.1
102	Seychelles	81.3
	World Avg	83.2
q=205.

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
4	Finland	3.17₃₀
5	Sweden	3.16₃₀
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₃₄
Pos.		Higher is better₃₄
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
4	Canada	100.0%
5	Finland	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%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2021)₃₅
Pos.		Higher is better Years₃₅
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
4	Belgium	19.6
5	Sweden	19.4
	...
73	Slovakia	14.5
74	Dominican Rep.	14.5
75	Albania	14.4
76	Cuba	14.4
77	Colombia	14.4
78	Moldova	14.4
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

IQ (2006)₃₆
Pos.		Higher is better₃₆
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
4	Japan	105
5	Taiwan	105
	...
72	Yemen	85
73	Trinidad & Tobago	85
74	Peru	85
75	Cuba	85
76	Venezuela	84
77	Colombia	84
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	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)₃₇

Internet Users (2016)₃₈
Pos.		Higher is better₃₈
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
4	Bermuda	97%
5	Andorra	97%
	...
127	India	35%
128	Kyrgyzstan	34%
129	Egypt	33%
130	Cuba	32%
131	Micronesia	31%
132	Vanuatu	31%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet (2012)₃₉
Pos.		Lower is better₃₉
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
4	Australia	18
5	Hungary	19
	...
42	Myanmar (Burma)	75
43	Uzbekistan	77
44	Syria	83
45	China	85
46	Cuba	86
47	Iran	90
	The Americas Avg	39.3
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₄₀
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₄₀
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
4	USA	35.0
5	Greece	33.5
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

#corruption #politics

Corruption (2022)₄₁
Pos.		Higher is better Points₄₁
1	Denmark	90.0
2	Finland	87.0
3	New Zealand	87.0
4	Norway	84.0
5	Singapore	83.0
	...
65	China	45.0
66	Sao Tome & Principe	45.0
67	Montenegro	45.0
68	Cuba	45.0
69	Jamaica	44.0
70	Oman	44.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#human_development #peace #politics

Global Peace Index (2021)₄₂
Pos.		Lower is better₄₂
1	Iceland	1.10
2	New Zealand	1.25
3	Denmark	1.26
4	Portugal	1.27
5	Slovenia	1.32
	...
84	Trinidad & Tobago	2.03
85	Nepal	2.03
86	Peru	2.03
87	Cuba	2.04
88	Ecuador	2.04
89	Georgia	2.05
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.08
q=163.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₄₃
Pos.		Higher is better %₄₃
1	Iceland	+205.6
2	Bahrain	+144.4
3	Uruguay	+131.3
4	Kuwait	+81.2
5	Dominican Rep.	+79.5
6	Egypt	+65.9
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
	The Americas Avg	-00.2
	World Avg	+02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₄₄
Pos.		Higher is better₄₄
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
	...
52	Russia	63.8
53	Brunei	63.6
54	Morocco	63.5
55	Cuba	63.4
56	Panama	62.7
57	Tonga	62.5
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	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
4	Vanuatu	1993 Dec 29
5	Papua New Guinea	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
	The Americas Avg	1899 Dec 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is worse₄₅
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
181	Somalia	38.90
180	Nigeria	37.10
	...
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
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

11. Religion and Beliefs

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

Disbelief In God (2007)₄₆
Pos.		Higher is better %₄₆
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
4	Czechia	61
5	Estonia	49
	...
9	Netherlands	42
10	Germany	42
11	UK	42
12	Cuba	40
13	Slovenia	35
14	Bulgaria	34
	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 below₄₇:

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 power₄₈.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: Cuba's Constitution affirms religious liberty and freedom (Article 15 and Article 57), and outlaws discrimination based on religion (Article 43). Despite this, things are not well. As recently as 2020, the USA has again put Cuba on its "Special Watch List for having engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom"₄₉.

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