Study Reveals Alarming Rise in Extreme Poverty in Cuba: 88% of Population Affected

Bloomberg Line — 88% of Cubans live in extreme poverty13% more than in 2022, according to the results of a study that the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) presented in Miami.

The sixth Report on the State of Social Rights in Cuba made by the NGO established in Madrid in 2009, The food crisis and inflation have had an impact in this last year in the economy of most households.

The government, through the Minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil, recently predicted that inflation will exceed 40% in 2023the food component being the one that will most influence the result.

The OCDH investigation, which included 1,354 personal interviews in 75 municipalities of all the provinces of Cubareveals the serious state of social rights on the island, “due to the structural and accumulated crises and the lack of political will of the authorities to make the changes that the country needs.”

Concern about the food crisis has risen five points compared to the previous yearstanding at 70%, followed by problems such as salaries (50%) and inflation (34%).

Almost nine out of ten Cubans (86%) criticize the economic and social management of the government and in this context, 68% rate the government’s management as “very negative”chaired by Miguel Díaz-Canel, a considerable increase of 17 points compared to 2022.

Other research findings

A majority of Cuban citizens (more than 80%) consider that Public investment in education, housing, agriculture and food, and public health and hospitals is insufficient.

Furthermore, 15% of the population have taken expired medicines, more than two points compared to the previous survey. 32% of those who needed medicines could not get them, either due to their cost (12%) or their scarcity (20%).

Those who obtained medicines were through churches or charitable organizations, sending remittances from relatives abroad, or through other means. Only 6% acquired them in the health system pharmacies.

62% of those surveyed He says he has trouble even buying the most essential things to survive. and almost half of those interviewed (48%) affirm that they have stopped eating due to lack of money or resources to obtain food.

79% of those over 70 have problems buying basic or essential products.

The island is going through its worst economic crisis in the last three decades with shortages of food, medicine, power outages and difficulties in fueling cars. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) projects Cuban GDP growth of 1.8% and 1.7% for 2023 and 2024respectively.