Cuba
Everything Palanor holds about Cuba, in one place: 25 public signals, what its economy runs on, how often America’s largest companies name it, the news that names it, and Country Posture. Every figure is computed from stored readings and carries its source and date.
North AmericaAmericasLatin America & Caribbean
The latest read
- GDP in current U.S. dollars: $107.4 billion (2020); record high since 1990; 1y +3.8%.
- Household consumption, share of GDP: 90.9% of GDP (2024); record high since 1990; 1y +9.74 pts.
- Net exports, share of GDP: -39.9% of GDP (2024); record low since 1990; 1y −10.64 pts.
Country Posture
What Cuba’s economy is doing
Momentum
2024Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.590 below 0.60; AUC 0.590 below the single-input baseline (0.624); 2010–2022: AUC 0.595 below 0.60; AUC 0.595 below the single-input baseline (0.641).
Inputs
| Real GDP growth | -1.1 |
| Growth against its three-year average | -1.4 |
| Change in unemployment | 0.0 |
| Change in the employment rate | -0.5 |
| Export volume growth | 5.9 |
| OECD leading indicator | — |
Resilience
2025Withheld: 1 of 5 core inputs reported for 2025.
Inputs
| Interest as a share of revenue | — |
| Budget balance | — |
| Reserves, months of imports | — |
| Current account | — |
| Governance (WGI mean) | -0.85 |
| External debt | — |
Pressure
2025Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.657 below the single-input baseline (0.672).
Inputs
| Inflation | — |
| Change in inflation | — |
| Currency move against the dollar | — |
| Conflict deaths per million | 0.0 |
| Political stability | 0.31 |
| Private credit, three-year change | — |
| Bond spread over U.S. Treasuries | — |
Posture describes what an economy is doing; it is not a rating and never ranks countries. Each input is read against the country’s own history and against every other economy that year. An axis shows a score only after passing a back-test fixed before any result was computed. Method and back-test.
Passport reach
Where a Cuba passport opens doors
The share of world GDP, outside Cuba itself, in the economies whose published rules let a holder of this passport in, as of October 2026. Palanor records the rules of destinations holding 88% of world GDP, from each government’s own list, and weights them by World Bank GDP for 2025. Rank is among 199 passports.
Work
0.0%rank 114 of 199
the right to work (free movement in full; treaty and working-holiday routes at half); 0 destinations in full.
Reach is shown here and not weighted into Country Strength: it rewards membership of a free-movement area or a treaty more than the strength of an economy. Entry is always at the border officer’s discretion, and conditions (length of stay, fees, age limits) vary. Method, sources and the full ranking: Passports and citizenship.
Palanor calculation from each destination government's published rules; GDP weights from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0), one year for the whole line, so it moves only when a list changes.
GDP by expenditure
What Cuba’s economy runs on
In 2024, household spending was 90.9% of GDP, government consumption 24.8%, investment 24.2% and net exports -39.9% (exports 42.5%, imports 82.4%).
World Bank national accounts. The parts can miss 100 by a few points (the statistical discrepancy).
Same World Bank definition for every country, so the shares compare directly: What each economy runs on.
News
In the news
- After decades of hostility, America’s economic leverage over Cuba is growing. But the impoverished island has taken the superpower by surprise before. Read the first chapter of “Archive Cuba” to discover how
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-22neutral
- During a crucial decade in the two countries’ history, we wrote about how America’s relationship with Cuba was transformed. Our archive shows parallels with the present day
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-21neutral
- U.S. Treasury Authorizes Fuel Purchase for Moa Nickel in Cuba
Engineering & Mining Journal2026-10-21neutral
- Sherritt busca reactivar mina de níquel en Cuba tras licencia de EE.UU.
Rumbo Minero2026-10-21neutral
- China rechaza la orden de arresto contra Raúl Castro y critica “el abuso de medios judiciales para presionar a Cuba”
La Tercera2026-10-21neutral
- By ending the state fuel monopoly, Cuba’s government has handed entrepreneurs a new and profitable line of business. Register for free to learn why
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-20neutral
- China adds extra Havana flight as Cuba fuel crisis strands travellers reut.rs/4zJbrQY
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-20negative · -crisis
- Cuba accuses US of letting terrorists operate with impunity after speedboat raid reut.rs/4k5MxGz
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-20neutral
- US, Cuba trade barbs at UN ahead of sanctions vote reut.rs/3UASAZm
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-19negative · -sanctions
- Cuba amplía plataforma continental en 1.700 km² para explorar petróleo y gas
Rumbo Minero2026-10-19neutral
- By accident or design, Donald Trump has gained leverage over a country that depends on America for food and remittances. The president now has a chance to get business moving in Cuba
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-19positive · +gained
- By ending the state fuel monopoly, Cuba’s government has handed entrepreneurs a new and profitable line of business. Register for free to learn why bit.ly/4hZDpAx
Photo: Roger Lemoyne/Redux/Eyevine
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-18neutral
- A stronger private sector in Cuba would loosen the grip of Gaesa, a sprawling and corrupt military conglomerate, and weaken the island’s regime. Unfortunately Donald Trump has not got the memo
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-18neutral · +stronger -weaken
- A surge in American fuel exported to Cuba is a boon to the island’s downtrodden private businesses. It is also helping mint a new generation of Cuban-American entrepreneurs in Florida
The Economist · Bluesky2026-10-16positive · +surge
Headlines that name Cuba, matched by name with fixed rules (a wrong match is worse than a missing one). Tone is read from each headline’s own words; no model reads or summarizes an article, and other publishers’ stories link out.
Signals
Every series about Cuba
Grouped by theme, the most-read first. All 25 in the Library.
Growth and output1
- Cuba · GDP · USD bn (current)record high since 1990; 1y +3.8%$107.4bn2020
Energy and resources3
- Cobalt Mine Production Share: Cubarecord low since 2017; 1y −0.506 pts0.64%2025
- Cobalt Mine Production: Cubarecord low since 2017; 1y −42.0%2,0002025
- Cobalt Reserves: Cubarecord high since 2018; 1y unchanged500,0002025
Conflict and geopolitics1 of 5
- U.S. Active-Duty Troops in Cuba (DMDC)14th percentile since Sep 2008; highest since Jun 2025; 1y −0.2%570 persons2026-08-31
Migration1 of 3
- U.S.-Born People Living in Cuba (UN)record low since 1990125 people2024
AI stance and technology1
- AI User Share: Cuba (Microsoft AI Diffusion)1y +1.10 pts6.8% of people aged 15-642026-06-30
Health and living standards4
- Cuba · Tertiary Enrollment Gender Gap · pts (women − men)79th percentile since 1971; lowest since 2020; 1y −1.94 pts28.42024
- Cuba · Tertiary Enrollment, Men · % gross62nd percentile since 1971; lowest since 2003; 1y −5.66 pts29.2% gross2024
- Cuba · Tertiary Enrollment, Women · % gross74th percentile since 1971; lowest since 2019; 1y −7.61 pts57.6% gross2024
- Cuba · Deaths from Non-Communicable Diseases · % of all deaths61.1% of deaths2021
Peers
Elsewhere in North America
Alphabetical. Palanor does not rank countries.
AnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArubaBahamasBarbadosBelizeBermudaCanadaCayman IslandsCosta RicaCuraçaoDominicaDominican RepublicEl SalvadorGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaHaitiHondurasJamaicaMartiniqueMexicoMontserratNicaraguaPanamaPuerto RicoSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSint MaartenTrinidad and TobagoTurks and Caicos IslandsUnited StatesVirgin IslandsVirgin Islands