Cuba profile

Demography and Health

Cuba’s population stands at about 10.98 million in 2024, with life expectancy at birth around 78.1 years as of 2023, reflecting solid health outcomes relative to many peers in the region. The crude birth rate is 8.71 per 1,000 people (2023), while the crude death rate is higher at 10.1 per 1,000 (2023), indicating a natural decrease in population in the absence of migration. When combined with a net outward migration of about 22,356 people in 2024, the country faces potential long-term demographic aging and a shrinking labor force if these trends persist. Cubas’s health system exhibits notable strengths: 9.43 physicians per 1,000 people (2021), one of the highest physician densities globally, supports broad access to medical expertise. Hospital beds average 4.22 per 1,000 people (2021), suggesting ample inpatient capacity in aggregate, though distribution and utilization require deeper data to assess equity of access. Health spending is substantial, with current health expenditure at 11.8% of GDP (2022) and government health expenditure per capita (PPP) around 2,562 international dollars (2022), signaling strong public investment in health relative to many countries in the region. Child health indicators show mortality under age five at 8.3 per 1,000 live births (2023), a rate that highlights ongoing efforts to improve child health outcomes. Nutritional sufficiency appears solid, with prevalence of undernourishment at 2.5% (2022). In the digital sphere, roughly 71.3% of the population used the Internet in 2023, enhancing access to health information and telemedicine. Suicide mortality is 13.8 per 100,000 (2021), underscoring ongoing attention to mental health and social supports. Overall, demography and health reflect a country with strong medical human capital and public health investment, facing demographic aging pressures and outward migration that could influence future labor markets and social services demand.

Economy, Trade and Investment

Cuba’s economy shows a substantial external orientation, with exports of goods and services representing 43.5% of GDP in 2023 and imports comprising 64.6% of GDP in 2023, indicating a sizable import reliance and potential vulnerability to external shocks or supply chain disruptions. The export base includes high value-added sectors such as services and certain goods, but high-technology exports amounted to about 13.3 million current US dollars in 2022, a modest absolute figure that suggests limited scale of technologically advanced manufacturing or export-intensive sectors. Research and development expenditure is 0.36% of GDP (2022), indicating limited investment in R&D relative to many peers, which can constrain product and process innovation over time. Patent activity by residents is low, with 21 patent applications (2021), signaling relatively modest local innovation intensity despite a capable scientific community. The country’s investment climate is further shaped by governance indicators influencing business environments: regulatory quality registers at −1.5 (2023), and rule of law at −0.453, both below global averages, while control of corruption sits near zero (−0.055). Government effectiveness is also weak (−0.476). These figures point to a regulatory and institutional environment that may hinder private investment and the efficient enforcement of contracts or property rights. Net outward migration can compound these constraints by depleting skilled labor and entrepreneurial capacity. On the import side, 64.6% of GDP in 2023 implies ongoing dependence on external inputs for consumer goods and essential commodities. The presence of a relatively robust health sector and human capital assets, exemplified by a high physician density, could support targeted investments in medical services, tourism-linked health offerings, or biotech initiatives if paired with favorable policy signals. Overall, Cuba’s economy blends a strong public health identity with substantial external dependencies and governance challenges that shape investment prospects and structural transformation trajectories.

Governance and Institutions

In governance terms, Cuba shows a mixed yet challenging picture. Political stability and absence of violence/terrorism stand at 0.384 in 2023 (rank 81), suggesting a stable political environment by some measures, though country-specific institutional dynamics may influence perceived risk for investors and partners. Regulatory quality is notably weak at −1.5 (rank 190), and the rule of law is also negative at −0.453 (rank 127), indicating significant constraints on the reliability and predictability of regulatory processes and legal enforcement. Control of corruption is near the lower end of mid-scale at −0.0551 (rank 88), while government effectiveness is negative at −0.476 (rank 129), all signaling structural governance and administrative challenges that can affect policy implementation and the business climate. The combination of these indicators implies that while political continuity exists, the bureaucratic environment may be slow and prone to inefficiencies, with potential impacts on trade facilitation, investment protection, and ease of doing business. The country’s governance profile also intersects with the innovation ecosystem, where a relatively small number of resident patent applications (21 in 2021) and modest R&D spending (0.36% of GDP in 2022) reflect constrained policy incentives for entrepreneurship and knowledge creation. The overall governance landscape, therefore, presents risks that require careful risk assessment for investors and partners, while also underscoring the importance of institutional reforms and anti-corruption measures to improve credibility and policy effectiveness over time.

Infrastructure and Technology

Infrastructure and technology in Cuba display a mix of strong human capital assets and constraints in logistics and digital ecosystems. Health infrastructure is notable, with 9.43 physicians per 1,000 people in 2021, ranking first in the data, and hospital bed availability at 4.22 per 1,000 (2021). These indicators underpin a well-distributed medical workforce capable of delivering extensive health services, especially in preventive care and primary treatment. Internet access is relatively broad, with 71.3% of the population online in 2023, supporting digital information flows, telehealth, and e-services. The logistics performance index for trade and transport-related infrastructure is 2.2 on a 1–5 scale (2022), with a rank of 24, suggesting that while Cuba faces some inefficiencies in logistics, it fares relatively well within a regional or global peer group on certain dimensions of trade facilitation and transport readiness. Innovation activity appears modest: high-technology exports totaled about 13.3 million USD in 2022, and resident patent applications were 21 in 2021, while spending on research and development stands at 0.36% of GDP (2022). Energy and environment-related indicators show renewable energy accounting for 20.9% of total final energy consumption (2021), indicating a meaningful though not dominant share of clean power in the energy mix. Overall, infrastructure and technology reflect a country with capable human capital, improving digital inclusion, and gaps in efficiency and private-sector innovation that could benefit from targeted policy and investment strategies, alongside continuing improvements in transport and trade logistics.

Environment and Sustainability

Cuba’s environmental profile shows a combination of relatively low per capita emissions and notable resource-management challenges. Total greenhouse gas emissions per capita excluding LULUCF are 3.58 t CO2e (2023), and energy consumption includes a renewable share of 20.9% of total final energy consumption (2021), indicating a diversified but still fossil-leaning energy system. Water resource stress exists, with freshwater withdrawal as a share of available freshwater resources at 23.9% (2021), indicating moderate level of water stress that could intensify with climate variability or changes in agricultural patterns. The prevalence of undernourishment is low at 2.5% (2022), reflecting improving food security, though broader nutritional metrics would be needed to assess regional disparities. The country’s environmental performance is influenced by economic structure and governance, where policy coherence, enforcement, and investments in energy efficiency, water management, and climate resilience would determine the trajectory of sustainability outcomes. Taken together, Cuba demonstrates progress in clean energy uptake and a manageable emissions footprint per capita, while facing ongoing water-resource management considerations and the need for continued emphasis on environmental governance and resilience planning as climate pressures grow.