The observatory Food Monitor Program (FMP) and Cuido60 presented this Wednesday the survey "In Cuba There Is Hunger 2025," the results of which confirm that hunger has ceased to be a threat and has become a daily reality: 33.9% of surveyed households reported that at least one family member went to bed without eating at least once in the past year.
The study, based on 2,513 valid responses collected between May and July 2025 across the 16 Cuban provinces, shows a sustained decline compared to the previous year.
In 2024, 1 in 4 Cubans went to bed without dinner; by 2025, that figure rose to 33.9%, an increase of 9.3 percentage points.
The collapse of access to food is almost total: 94.9% of participants reported having lost some degree of access to purchasing food over the past year, and 47.1% stated that this loss was significant or total.
The economic pressure on Cuban families is unsustainable. 79.4% of households allocate 80% or more of their monthly income to acquire food, and 40.6% have to spend 100% of their earnings just to eat.
Only 1.2% of those surveyed find stocked products in agromarkets and state-run markets, which reflects the failure of the regime's distribution system.
The food crisis is worsened by the collapse of basic services. Only 18.3% of respondents receive drinking water every day, a drastic decrease from the 34.1% recorded in 2024.
80.4% reported that power outages affected food preparation at home, and 48.3% lost food due to lack of refrigeration, a direct consequence of the blackouts impacting the entire island.
The territorial map of the crisis indicates that Granma and Guantánamo report the highest levels of hunger, at 78.9% and 78.7% respectively, figures that are more than double the national average.
Matanzas also appears as a critical area, with 67.3% of households reporting hunger.
Older adults are the most affected group.
56.6% of people over 60 reported total loss of access to food, 53% allocate all their income to food, and 80.2% have difficulty obtaining essential medications.
The situation of the Cuban elderly in the face of the food crisis contrasts with the inaction of the regime.
This deterioration is part of an ongoing trend: deaths from malnutrition increased by 74% between 2022 and 2023, rising from 43 to 75 cases according to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI). Furthermore, 89% of the Cuban population lives in extreme poverty according to the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights.
For FMP and Cuido60, the crisis is not limited to the lack of food: "the polycrisis is directly linked to the loss of purchasing power, decline in basic services, and the overload of family networks."
The infographic accompanying the survey concludes with a categorical warning: "Food insecurity is a violation of human rights. The response must be urgent and multidimensional."
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