In Cuba, as of December 2025, millions of citizens are enduring severe hunger amid a chronic food crisis that has solidified into a humanitarian emergency. Independent monitoring reports reveal that government rations cover only 20-30% of a household’s daily caloric needs, leading one in four Cubans to go to bed without dinner, while nearly 90% of the population lives in extreme poverty and 70% skip at least one meal per day. Malnutrition deaths have surged, particularly affecting children, the elderly, and vulnerable groups, with shortages of basics like milk, bread, and protein forcing families to reduce meal quality and quantity in the face of hyperinflation and collapsed domestic production.

The suffering is intensified by rampant disease outbreaks and relentless electricity blackouts. Simultaneous epidemics of dengue, chikungunya, and Oropouche virus have overwhelmed hospitals, with tens of thousands of cases and multiple deaths reported amid poor sanitation, stagnant water from infrastructure failures, and insufficient fumigation due to fuel shortages. Power outages now routinely exceed 18-30 hours daily—even in Havana—leaving residents without refrigeration (causing food spoilage), water pumps, or fans to combat sweltering tropical nights, compelling many to sleep outdoors in stifling heat while garbage accumulates in streets, further spreading illness.

This catastrophic breakdown, after 65 years of centralized communist governance marked by economic isolation, inefficiencies, and dependence on diminished foreign subsidies, has triggered the largest exodus in Cuban history. Over a million people—representing roughly 10% of the population, mostly young and working-age—have fled since 2022, with independent estimates suggesting the island’s resident population has dropped below 9 million or even 8 million by late 2025. The regime’s persistent structural failures, combined with external pressures, have culminated in total systemic distress, driving unprecedented levels of starvation, disease, and despair.