Cuba recorded 64,850 abortions in 2025, a figure very close to the 68,064 live births counted in that same year, according to the new Statistical Yearbook of Health from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP).
Official data shows that the ratio reached 94.8 abortions for every 100 births, the highest level since 1986, amid a profound demographic crisis and a persistent shortage of contraceptives on the island.
According to the Health Statistical Yearbook 2025, published by MINSAP, the number of abortions hardly changed compared to 2024, when 64,764 were recorded. However, its ratio to live births increased from 90.1 to 94.8 per 100.
According to a report by 14ymedio, the lack of condoms, contraceptive pills, and other methods forces many Cuban women to turn to the informal market or rely on products sent by relatives from abroad.
The media reports that an emergency contraceptive pill, which in 2023 could cost between 700 and 900 pesos, is currently being advertised for up to 1,800 pesos on buying and selling platforms.
The situation had already been documented previously. In October, CiberCuba reported on the warnings from specialists regarding how the lack of condoms exacerbates teenage pregnancies.
Although the authorities approved new regulations to prioritize adolescents' access to contraceptive methods, supply challenges persist.
The yearbook itself uses data from 2019 to report on contraceptive use by province, without providing updated figures on their availability.
Preventive cytologies are plummeting
Official statistics reveal another decline in reproductive health services.
The number of women with updated cytological tests, used to detect lesions that may lead to cervical cancer, fell from 871,196 in 2018 to just 197,457 in 2025, a decrease of 77.3%.
The same document reports 506 deaths from cervical cancer in 2025, compared to 479 the previous year.
A problem that had already raised alarms in Cuba
In January 2023, the authorities in Cienfuegos acknowledged that terminated pregnancies exceeded births, particularly among adolescents.
More recently, in July 2025, reports documented cases of adolescents who turned to clandestine abortions and dangerous methods amid difficulties in accessing reproductive health services.
Precisely, during 2025 136,214 people died, nearly double the 68,064 births recorded.
The effective population of the country has decreased to 9.43 million inhabitants, after losing more than 313,000 residents in a year, mainly due to emigration and a negative natural balance.
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