2025 has been an extremely difficult year for Cuba. Even more so than the already very tough 2024, which we said goodbye to with the feeling that the next year couldn’t be worse for the island. But it was.
The economic and social crisis that has plagued the country for several years intensified, without the government’s plans and measures being able to even alleviate it. Thus, the year that is ending will see another decline in GDP and, consequently, in the lives of Cubans.
With the old thermoelectric plants at their limit and the fuel shortage through the roof, in 2025 power outages became commonplace on the island. National production fell even further, tourism continued its decline from the previous year and the meager state coffers yielded less and less, amidst a reinforcement of U.S. sanctions after Trump’s return to the White House.
The year that is ending also marked a consolidation of dollarization on the island, bolstered by a new government package and the establishment of the promised official floating exchange rate. Furthermore, inflation continued to squeeze Cubans’ wallets to the maximum and ETECSA implemented its unpopular price increase, minimally disguised to appease citizen criticism and protests.
2025 was also the year of the terrible blow of Hurricane Melissa, the year of the conviction of former minister Alejandro Gil, the year of the spectacular fall of the former minister of labor after denying the existence of beggars on the island, and the year of a dengue and chikungunya epidemic that has cost many lives, sickened thousands, and put even more strain on the already struggling healthcare system.
We have covered all this and more over these 12 months on OnCuba, not only through news reports and articles, but also through photo essays and galleries. As the year draws to a close, we offer you a photographic record of this very difficult 2025 through images by our correspondent Otmaro Rodríguez.
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