Cuba · Health
Published Thursday 12 November 2026 · Source: Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health, January 2026; Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the UN health agency for the Americas, 31 March 2026
Cuba’s health ministry says 9.9 of every 1,000 babies born alive in 2025 died before their first birthday, up from 7.1 a year earlier. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United Nations health agency for the Americas, says blackouts and shortages of medical supplies are straining newborn care.
Key Facts
- What. Cuba’s health ministry reports 9.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2025, up from 7.1.
- Births. Births fell to 68,051 in 2025, which is 3,108 fewer than in 2024.
- Drivers. PAHO, the UN health body for the Americas, points to power cuts and shortages of medical supplies.
- Disputed. The ministry cites the US embargo among other causes; a Washington think tank blames US sanctions.
- Not known. No 2026 national rate appears in any ministry bulletin we could find.
- Power Index. Cuba ranks 14th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 22.5 points (November 2026 edition).
What the Official Numbers Show
Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health published preliminary data in early January 2026. The infant mortality rate, which counts deaths of babies under one year old per 1,000 live births, reached 9.9 for 2025 against 7.1 for 2024.
That is a rise of about 39%. A ministry series reproduced by PAHO shows 4.9 in 2020, so the rate has roughly doubled in five years.
Births fell to 68,051 in 2025, which is 3,108 fewer than in 2024 (about 4%). PAHO counted 508 infant deaths for 2024, so by our calculation from the rate and the birth count, deaths rose by about a third to roughly 670.
Seventeen municipalities reported no deaths of babies under one year old. The ministry named the provinces of Pinar del Río, Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos and Holguín as having the best rates.
What Officials Say Is Driving It
The ministry’s own list of causes starts with the difficult economic situation. It adds the tightening of the United States economic, commercial and financial blockade (Havana’s term for the US embargo), which it says limits medicines, supplies and equipment (our translation).
The ministry also names mosquito-borne disease outbreaks, hurricanes and heavy rain, and unfilled staff posts in some services. It gives no breakdown of how much each factor contributed.
PAHO’s report of 31 March 2026 says prolonged power outages, shortages of medical supplies and reagents, and limited transport are constraining obstetric and neonatal care. It says more than 32,000 pregnant women reportedly face higher risks because of reduced access to ultrasounds and delays in diagnosing congenital anomalies.
PAHO adds that incubators, ventilation systems and other life-support equipment depend on a reliable power supply. It dates energy limits from reduced fuel supply to December 2025.
A Cause That Is Disputed
The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), a Washington think tank, said in April 2026 that the rate rose 148% from 4.0 in 2018 to 9.9 in 2025. It links the increase to United States sanctions.
Cuba’s health ministry also cites the US embargo but lists other causes, so the two accounts overlap without matching. We found no public data that settles how much each factor explains.
What It Means for You
For readers in the United States, the figures put a human cost into the debate over Washington’s sanctions on Cuba, where the effect on ordinary Cubans is contested. Our reports cover the policy side, including new US sanctions on Cuban oil shippers and the loss of a Turkish power ship amid blackouts.
PAHO also lists lack of income, food insecurity, and insecurity or violence as reasons people leave Cuba. For how the island is changing its migration rules, see our report on the 24-month limit, and for the wider picture our Cuba news page.
What Is Not Known
We found no 2026 national infant mortality rate in a ministry bulletin. One independent report says a meeting of Cuba’s ruling Communist Party acknowledged a rate of about 14 per 1,000 in Havana for 2025, but we found no official bulletin with that figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cuba’s infant mortality rate?
Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health reports a preliminary rate of 9.9 deaths of babies under one year old per 1,000 live births for 2025. The rate was 7.1 in 2024.
Why are more babies dying in Cuba?
The ministry cites the economic situation, limits on medicines and equipment it ties to the US embargo, mosquito-borne diseases, hurricanes and unfilled staff posts. PAHO points to power cuts and shortages of medical supplies.
How does the rate compare with 2020?
A ministry series reproduced by PAHO shows 4.9 per 1,000 in 2020. The 2025 rate of 9.9 is about double.
Has Cuba published a 2026 infant mortality rate?
We found no 2026 national rate in a ministry bulletin. The latest official figure we could confirm is for 2025.
Sources: Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health, preliminary 2025 maternal and infant data, January 2026; Pan American Health Organization, Public Health Situation Analysis No. 2 on Cuba, 31 March 2026; Center for Economic and Policy Research, press release on infant mortality in Cuba, April 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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