HOLGUÍN, Cuba. – “Leaving the country is a cause for divorce in Cuba. My four-year marriage ended when he left for Nicaragua. At first it was all a video call and a promise to claim me, but time and distance put an end to everything. He changed, he met another person to ‘resolve his papers’ or he simply forgot.” Yindra Collazo speaks from Holguín, but her opinion reflects a reality that affects all of Cuba.
The Island is among the countries with the highest divorce rate in Latin America. The rise of separations goes beyond simple lack of love: it is the obvious sign of a country in ruins. Immigration flight, the energy crisis, overcrowding and economic precariousness are realities that directly affect marital coexistence.
On the other hand, the forced coexistence of several generations under the same roof, due to the housing crisis, prevents the intimacy of any couple. Holguin native Lázaro Pérez explains that the lack of privacy becomes something negative for the relationship.
“Imagine trying to maintain a marriage when you live with your mother-in-law, your sister-in-law and your sister-in-law’s children. There is no privacy. Lack of housing causes divorce. You can’t argue without the neighborhood finding out, you can’t have intimacy without everything being heard. That kills any romance,” says the interviewee.
Added to the housing crisis is the inability to put a plate of food on the table. Hunger and uncertainty displace love. “They say that love enters through the kitchen, but when the kitchen is empty, love goes out the window. The stress of what are we going to eat today puts people in a bad mood. You arrive home tired of waiting in lines, of not having power, and you unload on your partner,” says Maritza González.
A recent study from the Food Monitor Program indicates that to guarantee decent food in Cuba a couple needs income greater than six average salaries.
The doctor in Economic Sciences and professor at the University of Guantánamo Javier Pérez Capdevila estimated that the cost of living on the Island exceeds 50,000 pesos per month, a figure well above the average state salary, which is barely a fraction of that amount.
Marriage, in many cases, has ceased to be an end in itself and has become a means to obtain resources or documents. “There is a lot of divorce because there is a lot of fake marriage. Many people get married to solve problems, to exchange a house or to legalize a business. When the objective is achieved, or when the business fails, the marriage ends,” says Odlanier García.
“The values have been lost,” says Caridad Fuentes. “Now we see many marriages for interest and, when the money runs out or the papers are obtained, the love ends.”
Daily life pushes many towards self-destructive behaviors that directly affect the family. Alcohol consumption has skyrocketed as an escape mechanism and as a direct cause of domestic violence that often leads to divorce.
“Alcoholic beverages do a lot of harm. Many,” says Magaly Leyva, “not seeing a future and not being able to contribute as they would like, turn to drinking. That brings violence and lack of respect. Divorce is the only way out of living hell.”
Marriage during adolescence is another factor that influences the high divorce rate in Cuba. Pregnancy statistics in adolescents under 15 years of age show a clear trend towards increasing fertility and also the abortion rate on the Island. reported in June 2024 the first vice minister of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), Tania Margarita Cruz.
“Here people get married or get together very young, at 16 or 17 years old, sometimes to leave their parents’ house and have a little freedom. But at that age one doesn’t know anything about life. At 20 you already have a child and you realize that you skipped the stage of living. Then divorce comes because you want to recover the lost youth. I have friends who at my age are already going through their second divorce,” says Claudia Fernández, 22 years old.
According to information published by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) of Cuba, in 2024 were granted 21,113 divorces, 543 more than in 2023 (20,570).
The year 2025 showed even higher figures: the country’s courts processed more than 21,000 processes related to divorces, which represents 78.7% of the total judicial matters linked to divorce. Family Code.
“Divorce is not limited only to the dissolution of the marriage bond, but later are associated with the issues of custody of children, distribution of assets, etc., which must be addressed by the courts,” explained the former president of the Supreme People’s Court, Rubén Remigio Ferro, in December 2025, during a press conference.
“If we consult the statistics offered by the National Statistics Office, we can see that Cuba is a country with a high divorce rate,” said Yomays Olivares Gainza, president of the Civil, Family and Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Popular Court, at the same press conference.
Legal divorces also include same-sex/gender couples. Equal marriage in Cuba was legally approved with the new Family Codeapproved on September 25, 2022.
one year Since the entry into force of the new law, 2,132 marriages between people of the same gender had been authorized in Cuba.
Despite the new laws, there are no public statistics that inform how many divorces from same-sex marriages have taken place on the Island to date. In 2024 alone, when there were 481 unions between men and 474 between women, divorces between couples of the same gender totaled 102, according to the ONEI.
On the other hand, it is known that at least 70% of Cuban children have divorced parents and are, for the most part, in the care of their mothers, who barely manage to overcome the harsh economic conditions, according to Vanguardthe organ of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Villa Clara.
Kevin Hernández, a high school student, summarizes the new emotional normality on the Island. “In my classroom, almost no one has their parents together. My parents divorced and each one has their partner. For us it is normal, and without trauma,” he concludes.
