Story perspectives

Cuba’s Social Rights Study Finds 94% in Extreme Poverty

8/15/2026

Summary

Castro Honored

On August 13, 2026, Cuba held a ceremony in which Raúl Castro Ruz placed flowers at Fidel Castro’s tomb.
Vietnam marked the centenary at Fidel Castro Park on August 13, 2026, with Cuban Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes and locals laying wreaths.
Nicaragua installed a 20-meter metal sculpture of Fidel Castro on Managua’s Bolívar-Chávez Avenue, announced by co-president Rosario Murillo.

Summary

Cuba Faces Poverty

The Ninth Study on Social Rights in Cuba found extreme poverty affects 94% of Cubans.
Eighty percent said they have skipped a meal because of lack of money or food.
Sixty-three percent reported difficulty buying essential goods, while thirty percent said they can only meet basic needs.
Ninety-five percent gave a negative assessment of the government’s economic and social management, a rise of three percentage points from the previous year.

History

Historical Context

The 1991 Special Period, triggered by the Soviet Union’s dissolution, plunged Cuba’s economy into a deep recession, halving GDP by roughly 35%. By 1995, the United Nations reported that 30% of Havana residents lived below the poverty line, while food rations fell to 200 calories daily. Today, Cuba’s August 13 ceremonies—Raúl Castro Ruz honoring Fidel Castro’s tomb and Nicaragua’s Rosario Murillo unveiling a statue—echo the regime’s historic reliance on symbolic nationalism. The lingering legacy of the Special Period explains the Ninth Study’s 94% extreme-poverty figure and suggests that future reforms must address structural scarcity.

1 of 3

Castro Honored

On August 13, 2026, Cuba held a ceremony in which Raúl Castro Ruz placed flowers at Fidel Castro’s tomb.
Vietnam marked the centenary at Fidel Castro Park on August 13, 2026, with Cuban Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes and locals laying wreaths.
Nicaragua installed a 20-meter metal sculpture of Fidel Castro on Managua’s Bolívar-Chávez Avenue, announced by co-president Rosario Murillo.

1 / 3