US exports to Cuba totaled 490.1 million dollars in 2025, 13% more than the previous year and positioning itself as the third highest value since these shipments began under the current legal framework in 2001.
In December, sales of food and agricultural products amounted to 46.2 million, compared to 41.7 million in the same month of 2024 and 45.2 million in 2023, according to the most recent report from the United States-Cuba Economic and Trade Council spread by Cubatrade.
The annual cumulative total of 490,111,943 exceeds the 433.6 million in 2024. Since 2001, exports have been carried out under the protection of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSREEA), which authorizes direct sales of food and agricultural products to Cuba under cash payment, and of the Cuban Democracy Actwhich regulates other items, including health supplies.
The report highlights the growth of exports destined for the Cuban private sector. Since 2022, when the first license from the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) was issued to export vehicles to nationals and private companies on the Island, the accumulated value of these operations exceeds 394 million, according to Cubatrade.
In 2025 alone, shipments of new and used vehicles, electric and combustion, as well as bicycles, trucks, motorcycles and parts, reached 149.4 million.
Donations also increased 116.7% to 147 million in 2025. The figures reflect the dollar value of the exported products and do not include transportation costs, banking services or other charges associated with operations.
Foods at the head
Food is largely predominant in the composition of exports in 2025. Poultry meat and its derivatives, excluding eggs, topped the list with 298.63 million dollars and a volume of 236,539 metric tons, well above its average of the last decade (223.76 million), which represents a growth of 184% in that period.
In second place were pork and its products, with 47.93 million (15,573 tons), followed by dairy products, which totaled 32.24 million (13,584 tons). Non-alcoholic beverages (except juices) also stand out with 16.87 million, and rice, which reached 16.08 million and 21,671 metric tons.
Other relevant items were food preparations (11.3 million), whose values far exceed the average of the last decade, and bakery products (10.86 million).
Fruit and vegetable juices totaled 7.41 million, while condiments and sauces contributed 5.09 million. The increase in processed vegetables is striking, with 4.44 million and 2,439 tons, a figure much higher than the reported ten-year average.
The most lagging economy in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) confirmed in its 2025 Statistical Yearbook that the economy of cuba has reached a critical limit: two consecutive years of contraction and the lowest level of current gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the entire region.
The ECLAC report It places the island in last place in Latin America, even below Haiti, and reflects a gap of almost 90% with respect to the regional average. According to the entity, the Cuban GDP at current prices reached just 12,099.9 million dollars in 2025, equivalent to 0.2% of the regional total estimated at 6.79 trillion.
The regional body also calculated the GDP at constant 2018 prices, which allows the effects of inflation to be corrected.
Under this indicator, the Cuban economy reaches 88,906.6 million dollars, equivalent to 1.4% of the regional total. Constant GDP per capita stands at $7,956.1, still 12% below the regional average of $9,032.9.
Although the distance is reducing, Cuba continues to lag behind. The economist Elías Amor, on your blog Cubaeconomystressed that “the crisis does not respond to a specific episode, but to an accumulated structural deterioration.”
Specialists agree that the Cuban crisis is not temporary. The lack of profound reforms, other internal failures and inefficiencies, the dependence on external subsidies and the impact of US sanctions—combined with the recent oil blockade imposed by the Trump Administration—have further weakened the country’s productive capacity.
In the opinion of experts, Cuba’s immediate future looks bleak. With two years of contraction and GDP per capita at historic lows, the government’s room for maneuver is limited. The lack of foreign currency, the energy crisis and social pressure due to the deterioration of living standards create a scenario of high vulnerability.
