Díaz-Canel's Pledge to "Leave No One Behind" Clashes with Rising Poverty and Hunger in Cuba

Miguel Díaz-Canel has reiterated the principle of "leaving no one behind" as the cornerstone of Cuba's social policy. However, he dismissed claims that the majority of the population is vulnerable, despite numerous independent studies documenting widespread poverty, hunger, and the deterioration of living conditions on the island.

During the 36th episode of his podcast, "From the Presidency," which focused on social inclusion, the leader acknowledged the worsening living conditions. Yet, he asserted that the vulnerable population "is not, as some anti-Cuban tabloids have published, the majority of the population, but it is a painfully growing segment."

This statement stands in stark contrast to findings from the IX Study on the State of Social Rights in Cuba, published in August by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH). The study estimated that 94% of Cubans live in extreme poverty, up from 89% in 2025 and 61% four years ago.

The research, which included 1,318 interviews across 79 municipalities in all provinces, used an income threshold of $1.90 per person per day and a currency exchange rate calculated by the authors. According to the study, 68% of households reported monthly incomes below 20,000 Cuban pesos.

Additionally, the study found that eight out of ten respondents had skipped breakfast, lunch, or dinner due to lack of money or food. This figure rose to nearly nine out of ten among those over 61 years old. Furthermore, 63% reported difficulties even in acquiring essential goods.

While the monetary poverty measured by the OCDH and the administratively defined vulnerability by the government are not equivalent, independent findings challenge the notion that material deprivation can be described as a problem limited to specific social sectors.

Widespread Hunger and Its Implications

Hunger is not a minority issue. OCDH's findings align with other research on food insecurity.

The "In Cuba, There's Hunger 2025" survey, conducted by the Food Monitor Program and Cuido60 and presented in May 2026, found that 33.9% of participants reported that at least one household member had gone to bed hungry within the 30 days prior to the survey.

The study, based on 2,513 valid responses collected across 16 provinces, also noted that 94.9% had lost some degree of access to food purchases and that 79.4% spent at least 80% of their income on food.

Childhood is not spared from these hardships. A UNICEF report published in 2024 found that 9% of Cuban children aged 6 to 23 months experienced severe food poverty, characterized by consumption from a maximum of two out of eight food groups.

Adding to this, official data on mortality due to malnutrition showed an increase from 43 deaths in 2022 to 75 in 2023, according to figures from the National Office of Statistics and Information, as reported by CiberCuba.

Government's Recognition of the Vulnerable

In the presidential program, Labor and Social Security Minister Jesús Otamendiz Campos stated that authorities had visited over 1.3 million families and identified 883,426 individuals in greater vulnerability to receive priority attention.

The selection criteria include age, health, family composition, and income, with a limit of 4,000 pesos per person monthly. The minister acknowledged that the number of beneficiaries changes constantly and that there are others in need who do not necessarily meet these criteria.

Currently, 174,511 family units receive protection through social assistance, with the 2026 budget allocating nearly 6 billion pesos for this purpose.

However, economist Pedro Monreal warned in August that extending assistance to the entire vulnerable population recognized by official statistics would require multiplying the 2025 social spending by approximately 4.5 times, reaching about 24.3 billion pesos.

The government recently announced the distribution of five pounds of rice, one of sugar, and a monthly supply of grains for those classified as most vulnerable. The minister explained that part of the food assistance depends on donations and collaboration with international organizations like the World Food Program.

A Longstanding Promise

The formula of "leaving no one behind" is not a new one. Díaz-Canel employed it in January 2024 to defend economic adjustment measures and subsidy eliminations. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla used it again in August 2025, presenting pension increases as a social achievement, quickly eroded by inflation and the depreciation of the Cuban peso.

In his most recent address, the leader primarily blamed the U.S. embargo for the deteriorating living conditions and rejected claims that the economic reforms his government implemented were responsible for the increasing vulnerability.

Independent reports, however, document a crisis affecting a vast majority of the population, while the authorities themselves acknowledge budget limitations, bureaucracy, and difficulties in ensuring effective social protection.

Díaz-Canel concluded his program with a particularly significant statement: "Social justice is not defended with speeches; it is defended with functioning institutions." This assertion highlights that the outcome of social policies, rather than the repetition of promises, should be the criterion for evaluating the government's commitment to leaving no Cuban behind.