An independent report states that during the year 1,536 robberies and 152 homicides were recorded, in a context marked by the lack of transparent official statistics.
MADRID, Spain.- Public insecurity in Cuba experienced a significant increase during 2025, according to the Public Insecurity Report 2025 prepared by the Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit (OCAC), an initiative linked to the Cuba Siglo 21 ideas laboratory. The document records 2,833 reports of verified criminal acts throughout the year, which represents an increase of 115.11% compared to 2024 and 336.58% compared to 2023.
The report is based on the systematic compilation and verification of information published on social networks, media and public sources, and highlights that the data reflects only a part of the real phenomenon, due to the absence of transparent official statistics by the Cuban State.
Among the most frequent crimes are: the robberieswith 1,536 cases, consolidating itself as the dominant typology. Within this group, crimes linked to the theft and illegal slaughter of livestock stand out, a phenomenon that OCAC directly associates with the food crisis and the deterioration of economic conditions. A growth in assaults, assaults and other violent crimes is also reported, which shows a greater diversification of crime.
One of the most relevant elements of the report is the expansion of drug-related crimes, which in 2025 totaled 437 reports, a category analyzed independently for the first time. According to the document, these activities — which include production, sale and consumption — are concentrated mainly in Havana, Granma and Holguín, and particularly affect young people and vulnerable sectors.
Although homicides showed a slight decrease compared to previous years, the OCAC warns that this decrease does not imply an improvement in citizen security. 152 homicides were reported, 8.98% less than in 2024 and 22.84% less than in 2023. However, the social impact remains high: 173 people died violently, including 48 women victims of femicide.
The report concludes that crime in Cuba is growing in volume, spreading territorially and becoming more socially harmful, as a result of structural factors such as economic collapse, institutional weakness and the lack of effective public policies to confront the phenomenon.
While crime grows, the Ministry of the Interior concentrates most of its resources on repression against dissent, leaving crime prevention in the background.
