Cuba at Its Poorest Since 1959: 89% in Extreme Poverty, 92% Reject Regime

Nearly nine in ten Cubans now live in extreme poverty and public discontent with the government has reached record highs, according to a survey published Tuesday by the Madrid-based Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Humanos (OCDH).

The annual report, based on 1,344 in-person interviews across 70 municipalities, found 89% of Cubans classified as extremely poor under international thresholds and 92% disapproving of the government’s social and economic policies.

The study, conducted between June and July this year, has a margin of error of ±2.7%. For the first time, power outages overtook food as the top concern.

Seventy-two percent of respondents identified blackouts as their biggest problem, compared to 71% who cited shortages of food. Inflation, low wages and scarce medicine also ranked high.

The elderly were described as the most vulnerable group (82%), followed by those without remittances from abroad (62%). Housing and water supplies remain fragile: 15% of homes are at risk of collapse, 56% need repairs, and only 15% receive water every day.

Only 26% of Cubans are fully employed, with high levels of underemployment especially among the young. Almost 20% of those aged 18–30 are neither working nor studying. Fourteen percent of people over 70 are still working due to insufficient pensions.

More than half of households report difficulty affording essentials. Seventy percent of Cubans said they have skipped meals because of scarcity or cost, with the figure rising to 80% among the elderly. Just 3% of respondents said they obtained medicine from state pharmacies.

Remittances remain critical. Thirty-seven percent of households receive some form of outside support, up from 24% in 2024. Most transfers are modest: 44% under $50 and only 2% above $250.

With 74% of households earning less than 23,000 pesos per month—around $65 at the informal rate—most Cubans fall short of the 30,000 pesos economists say is needed to meet even the most basic nutritional needs for a family.

Emigration intentions are at historic highs. Seventy-eight percent of Cubans want to leave or know someone who does. The U.S. is the preferred destination, but a third of respondents said they would go “anywhere.”

Young adults are the most determined to depart, with three-quarters expressing intent. The Cuban government has not issued a response to the 2025 findings.

In the past, state media has dismissed OCDH reports as propaganda produced by exiles. The OCDH said the crisis is structural, driven by subsidy cuts, currency collapse, and chronic shortages.

The survey portrays a society where official revolutionary rhetoric of “guaranteed social rights” has given way to widespread deprivation, discontent, and accelerating migration.

At 89% extreme poverty and 92% disapproval, the study points to Cuba’s deepest social crisis since the revolution of 1959.

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