Most Cubans have lived under a Communist regime, which has led to persistent economic challenges, brain drain, and widespread dissatisfaction. Years of authoritarian governance have left the country struggling with deteriorating infrastructure, persecution of dissidents, and a failing state economy.
Cuba’s state-planned economy has stagnated for decades, with critical economic infrastructure collapsing. Cheap oil supplies from socialist Venezuela have been greatly reduced, boosting Cuba’s energy shortfall. Several governments have ended arrangements whereby Cuba had sent medics abroad and collected most of their wages. Former US President Donald Trump’s sanctions added more pressure, further crippling Cuba's economic prospects.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused Cuba to experience Latin America’s second-largest economic contraction, and the tourism sector has struggled to recover. While many private enterprises have received permission to operate, expanding market reforms has proven difficult. Cubans continue to leave the country because of harsh economic conditions.
Moreover, the leadership transition from Raul Castro to Miguel Diaz-Canel has yet to alleviate the country's woes. Mismanagement and widespread dysfunction have left an already strained population desperate for change. Currency devaluations that followed the discarded currency system, rising food prices, and an approximately 200 percent inflation rate have impacted essentials such as the availability of good healthcare and basic medicines.
