- Cuba's economy expected to grow only 1% in 2025
- Economy hit by U.S. sanctions, COVID-19, and energy crisis
- Export earnings fell $900 million, imports 18% below forecast
Havana, Cuba May 16, 2017
Cuban Economy Minister Joaquín Alonso Vázquez on Monday forecast the Caribbean island's economy would grow only 1% in 2025 after a dismal year marked by one of the country's worst energy crisis in decades.
The minister, speaking to a closed-door session of a parliament commission, did not provide an estimate for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year, though recent hints by officials suggest it may have contracted again after falling 1.9% in 2023.
The Communist-run country blames U.S. sanctions and a lingering hangover from the COVID-19 pandemic for a depression that has left large swaths of the population and economy facing daily power outages, double-digit inflation and shortages of basic goods, water and fuel.
Cuba initially forecast 2% growth this year after a decline of nearly 12% since 2019, but the crisis deepened month-by-month in 2024 as daily power outages across much of the country often span for 12 or more hours.The Communist-run country blames U.S. sanctions and a lingering hangover from the COVID-19 pandemic for a depression that has left large swaths of the population and economy facing daily power outages, double-digit inflation and shortages of basic goods, water and fuel.
Cuba initially forecast 2% growth this year after a decline of nearly 12% since 2019, but the crisis deepened month-by-month in 2024 as daily power outages across much of the country often span for 12 or more hours.
"This year was so serious … the power outages have created a critical situation where industry is paralyzed," Cuban economist Omar Everleny said.
Everleny said he estimated the growth would plunge 4% this year, on top of last year's dismal near 2 percent contraction.
Communist Cuba's economy minister said export earnings fell $900 million, 10% short of the government's plans, while imports were 18% less than forecast. Agriculture, tourism, steel and sugar production all performed well short of expectations.
The National Statistics Office reported freight traffic, key indicator of economic activity, was down 18% through September, compared with a similar period last year.
At the end of November 2024, the number of political prisoners on the island amounted to 1,148, an increase of 34 arrests compared to the previous month.
For more than two years, Cuba has been experiencing a scenario marked by increasing repression against those who dare to question or challenge the regime. According to a recent report by the non-governmental organization Prisoners Defenders, at the end of November 2024 the number of political prisoners on the island rose to 1,148, which represents an increase of 34 arrests compared to the previous month.
In the last year the list of Cuban political prisoners has increased by 155 new cases, which gives an average of 13 new arrests per month. Prisoners Defenders emphasizes that repression has not stopped and that prisoners, all of them subjected to inhuman treatment and torture, continue to be victims of a system that persists in silencing its opponents.
Since July 2021, after the massive protests that shook the island, the Cuban regime has intensified its attack on opponents, turning Cuba into a country where dissent is paid for in prison. Throughout these three years and five months, the total number of political prisoners who have passed through Cuban prisons amounts to 1,785, according to the report. Of these, approximately 650 suffer from serious medical conditions, many of them caused or worsened by the extreme conditions of mistreatment and torture in prison.
In the month of November 2024, 34 new political prisoners entered prison. The Prisoners Defenders report highlights that 30 of these arrests occurred in response to recent spontaneous mobilizations in different regions of the country. For the most part, these demonstrations have been motivated by the demand for basic services such as electricity, water and food, conditions that have seriously deteriorated due to the economic crisis affecting the island.
Faced with the protests, despite their peaceful nature and, for the most part, localized, the regime has unleashed relentless repression.
The report also specifies the geographical distribution of the new political prisoners, mentioning especially Villa Clara, where 17 people were detained, and Santiago de Cuba, with 7 new prisoners. Arrests were also recorded in other provinces such as Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey and Pinar del Río.
Prisoners Defenders reports that detainees are subjected to extreme physical and psychological torture, including beatings, prolonged isolation and deprivation of access to food and medical care, which in some cases has led to death.
In addition to overcrowded conditions, political prisoners are subjected to degrading treatment, with no guarantees of a fair trial or access to independent defense lawyers.
The report also highlights that many of the prisoners suffer from chronic illnesses that are aggravated by prison conditions, where they are rarely provided with the necessary treatment.
You can view the additional data at Prisoners Defenders Website
HAVANA, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Cubans still reeling from months of hours-long blackouts now have a new problem on their hands: fuel shortages.
Many gas stations across the island have been shuttered for days as an unusually severe shortfall has left the nation nearly devoid of gasoline and diesel, stranding motorists and sprouting seemingly interminable lines at the pump in Havana.
"We have been waiting for a fuel truck to arrive for three days," said Armando Corrales from the driver's seat of his gray Kia SUV at a gas station in the capital. "People have slept here in line so they don't lose their spot."
DW Documentary is a German public broadcast service
In Cuba, the socialist project begun by revolutionary and former president Fidel Castro is teetering on the verge of failure. The nation is sinking deeper into crisis, with many people’s daily lives marred by shortages of food, medicine and electricity.
Cuba has been subject to sanctions for decades. Despite recent attempts at reform, the country is increasingly isolated and economically dependent. A currency reform enacted in 2021 is also causing major problems, with inflation soaring and prices skyrocketing. Food is scarce, and lines in front of the few state-run stores are getting longer and longer.
Poverty is on the rise. Even the famous ingenuity of the Cuban people is reaching its limits as they try to cope with the day-to-day effects of the crisis. Images of bygone revolutionaries are fading in the streets the capital, Havana, and all over the island. Official voices continue to broadcast the state’s ideology, but ordinary people are losing hope that things will improve.
HAVANA (AP) — After a nationwide blackout left millions without electricity for several hours in Cuba, the power grid was restored Thursday, authorities said, adding that scheduled power outages will now resume.
The latest blackout, the third one of this severity in less than two months, occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, after a breakdown at a thermoelectric plant in Matanzas province, east of Havana. The incident triggered a chain reaction, overwhelming an already strained power system.
On Thursday, classes and work activities gradually returned to normal.
As for the scheduled power outages, Cuban authorities said they will continue their current practice of implementing daily, five-hour power outages by block or zone as they have been doing for the past few months.
On Oct. 18, the island suffered a significant blackout that, added to the passage of Hurricane Oscar two days later, left the island without electricity for several days.
Weeks later, Hurricane Rafael’s strong winds triggered another system-wide blackout that left the national energy system disconnected again.
Cuba’s power grid has been plagued by frequent outages in recent months, with more than half of the country experiencing power cuts during peak hours. The outages are primarily caused by fuel shortages and aging infrastructure. In many parts of the island, electricity is crucial for cooking and water pumping.
