A Cuban TikTok user known as Aribartolome95 shared a video last Saturday, revealing a crowded living situation with 17 people packed into the living room of her home. The scene includes clothes hanging everywhere, pressure cookers stacked high, and a newly installed door due to the occupants fighting over the single bathroom.
What makes this video particularly eye-opening is that it isn't a first-time occurrence. Two years ago, the same content creator posted a similar video, then showing 16 people sharing the same space, hoping the situation wouldn't repeat itself.
“I had hoped this wouldn't happen again, that they would have felt enough embarrassment not to return like this, but they didn’t care and even added a new tenant,” she states in the video, which amassed over 513,000 views and 47,000 likes in under 48 hours.
“Now there are not sixteen of us anymore; we’re seventeen in one living room,” she summarizes with a blend of humor and resignation that characterizes the entire clip.
The video provides a tour of the cramped home, highlighting the crowded conditions: “Clothes hanging in every corner, their respective waffle maker, this isn’t normal on the domino table, this isn’t normal, folks, this isn’t normal.”
The Housing Crisis in Cuba: A Broader Context
The situation captured in the video is not an isolated anecdote but a direct reflection of Cuba's deep-seated housing crisis, which even the regime admits it cannot solve.
As acknowledged by the Ministry of Construction in January 2025, Cuba faces an official housing deficit exceeding 805,000 units, while independent estimates suggest this number could rise to 929,000 by 2026.
A staggering 35% of the nation's housing is in poor or fair condition, with approximately 1,000 buildings collapsing annually in Havana alone.
The construction figures are just as grim: in 2025, the government completed only 22% of the planned housing projects, building just 2,382 out of 10,795 intended units.
In 2024, only 7,427 homes were constructed, a stark decline from the 15,491 built in 2019, marking a 64% drop over four years. This situation is exacerbated by the cement industry operating at just 10% of its capacity due to energy shortages and outdated infrastructure.
The regime has consistently promised to build 50,000 homes annually since 2018, a target unmet throughout more than six decades of dictatorship.
The government's proposed solutions include converting over 3,500 shipping containers into modular homes of 29 square meters in Havana and a new Housing Law Draft put to public consultation in February 2026, measures met with skepticism by Cubans on social media.
This month, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz admitted that the housing program “is not progressing at the desired speed,” an acknowledgment that offers little solace to the thousands of overcrowded families like the one featured in the video.
“This is the classic Cuban family, truly,” concludes the TikToker, brutally summarizing the harsh reality that decades of housing failures have normalized on the island.
Understanding the Cuban Housing Crisis
What is the current housing deficit in Cuba?
According to the Ministry of Construction, the official housing deficit in Cuba is over 805,000 units, with independent estimates suggesting this could rise to 929,000 by 2026.
How has the Cuban government responded to the housing crisis?
The government has proposed converting shipping containers into modular homes and introduced a new Housing Law Draft, though these measures have been met with skepticism by the public.
Why is the Cuban housing situation alarming?
The alarming situation is due to a combination of a high housing deficit, poor condition of existing structures, and a significant decline in new housing construction, worsened by low production capacity in the cement industry.