LIMA, Peru – The Cuban economy remains among the most lagging in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the 2025 Statistical Yearbook published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which places the Island in last place in the region in GDP per capita at current prices.
The economist Elías Amor shared an analysis of the statistics through his blog Cubaeconomypointing out Cuba’s poor performance in production, income and growth levels compared to the rest of the region.
According to the reportCuba’s gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices reached about 12,099.9 million dollars, equivalent to just 0.2% of the regional total. GDP per capita stood at 1,082.8 dollars, well below the regional average of more than 10,000 dollars, reflecting a wide economic lag.
“The distance between the two indicators could not be more overwhelming and reaches around 90%. This means that the Cuban economy will be in a situation of extreme poverty in 2025,” Amor emphasizes.
The economist highlighted that the current GDP per capita figures denote that the Island’s economy is in last place in the classification of all Latin American and Caribbean countries. “Even Haiti, which already registers 2,136 dollars per capita, is ahead of Cuba,” he says.
Measured at constant prices—which adjust for the impact of inflation— Cuban GDP amounted to 88,906.6 million dollars, with a per capita income of 7,956 dollars, approximately 12% lower than the Latin American average. Even so, this measurement places the country in intermediate positions within the region.
The study also indicates that Cuba registered two consecutive years of economic contraction, with GDP falls close to 2.6% in 2024 and 2.3% according to official data, in contrast to the accumulated growth of 4.7% observed in Latin America and the Caribbean during the same period.
The data suggest that the Cuban economic crisis responds to a prolonged deterioration rather than recent cyclical factors, in a context of low levels of production and per capita income compared to its regional neighbors.
