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The observatory Food Monitor Program (FMP) and Cuido60 presented this Wednesday the survey "In Cuba, There is Hunger 2025," whose results confirm that hunger has ceased to be a threat and has become a daily reality: 33.9% of the surveyed households reported that at least one family member went to bed without eating during 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; in 2025, that figure rose to 33.9%, an increase of 9.3 percentage points.
The collapse of access to food is almost complete: 94.9% of participants reported losing some degree of access to food purchases 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 purchasing food, and 40.6% have to spend 100% of what they earn 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 drop 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 power cuts affecting the entire island.
The territorial map of the crisis shows that Granma and Guantánamo register the highest levels of hunger, at 78.9% and 78.7% respectively, figures that represent more than double the national average.
Matanzas also appears as a critical area, with 67.3% of households reporting hunger.
The elderly are the most affected group.
55.6% of people over 60 reported a total loss of access to food, 53% allocate all their income to food, and 80.2% have difficulties in 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 a cumulative 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) itself. 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 food shortages: "the polycrisis is directly linked to the loss of purchasing power, the decline of basic services, and the overload on 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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