2019 Edition

Background

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from Spain in 1898 and, following three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba became an independent republic in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul CASTRO to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office on 19 April 2018. The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4-6 billion annually. Cuba traditionally and consistently portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its difficulties. As a result of efforts begun in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic relations with the Cuban Government, which were severed in January 1961, the US and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries in July 2015. The embargo remains in place, and the relationship between the US and Cuba remains tense. Illicit migration of Cuban nationals to the US via maritime and overland routes has been a longstanding challenge. On 12 January 2017, the US and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy – by which Cuban nationals who reached US soil were permitted to stay. Illicit Cuban migration by sea has since dropped significantly, but land border crossings continue. In FY 2018, the US Coast Guard interdicted 312 Cuban nationals at sea. Also in FY 2018, 7,249 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry throughout the US.

Area

Land

109,820 sq km

Total

110,860 sq km

Water

1,040 sq km

Area Comparative

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Climate

tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)

Coastline

3,735 km

Elevation

Highest Point

Pico Turquino 1,974 m

Lowest Point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Mean Elevation

108 m

Environment Current Issues

soil degradation and desertification (brought on by poor farming techniques and natural disasters) are the main environmental problems; biodiversity loss; deforestation; air and water pollution

Environment International Agreements

Party To

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

Signed But Not Ratified

Marine Life Conservation

Geographic Coordinates

21 30 N, 80 00 W

Geography Note

largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

Irrigated Land

8,700 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

Border Countries

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 28.5 km

Total

28.5 km

Land Use

Agricultural Land

60.3% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Arable Land

33.8% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Crops

3.6% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture

22.9% (2011 est.)

Forest

27.3% (2011 est.)

Other

12.4% (2011 est.)

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida

Map References

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime Claims

Contiguous Zone

24 nm

Exclusive Economic Zone

200 nm

Territorial Sea

12 nm

Natural Hazards

the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common

Natural Resources

cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land

Population Distribution

large population clusters found throughout the country, the more significant ones being in the larger towns and cities, particularly the capital of Havana

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast

Age Structure

0 14 Years

16.44% (male 940,787 /female 886,996)

15 24 Years

12.1% (male 698,220 /female 646,684)

25 54 Years

43.69% (male 2,443,190 /female 2,414,119)

55 64 Years

12.54% (male 677,304 /female 716,704)

65 Years And Over

15.22% (male 773,636 /female 918,756) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

10.6 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

73.7% (2014)

Current Health Expenditure

12.2% (2016)

Death Rate

8.9 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

Elderly Dependency Ratio

19.9 (2015 est.)

Potential Support Ratio

5 (2015 est.)

Total Dependency Ratio

43.3 (2015 est.)

Youth Dependency Ratio

23.3 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved Rural

89.8% of population

Improved Total

94.9% of population

Improved Urban

96.4% of population

Unimproved Rural

10.2% of population

Unimproved Total

5.1% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

3.6% of population

Education Expenditures

12.8% of GDP (2010)

Ethnic Groups

white 64.1%, mulatto or mixed 26.6%, black 9.3% (2012 est.)

HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate

0.4% (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS Deaths

<500 (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS People Living With HIV/AIDS

31,000 (2018 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

5.2 beds/1,000 population (2014)

Infant Mortality Rate

Female

3.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Male

4.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Total

4.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Female

81.4 years

Male

76.6 years

Total Population

78.9 years (2018 est.)

Literacy

Definition

age 15 and over can read and write

Female

99.8% (2015)

Male

99.9%

Total Population

99.8%

Major Infectious Diseases

Degree Of Risk

intermediate (2016)

Food Or Waterborne Diseases

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A (2016)

Vectorborne Diseases

dengue fever (2016)

Major Urban Areas Population

2.138 million HAVANA (capital) (2019)

Maternal Mortality Rate

36 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median Age

Female

43.1 years

Male

40.2 years

Total

41.8 years (2018 est.)

Nationality

Adjective

Cuban

Noun

Cuban(s)

Net Migration Rate

-4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

24.6% (2016)

People Note

illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and overland via the southwest border; the number of Cubans migrating to the US surged after the announcement of normalization of US-Cuban relations in late December 2014 but has decreased since the end of the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy on 12 January 2017

Physicians Density

8.19 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Population

11,116,396 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

-0.27% (2018 est.)

Religions

Christian 59.2%, folk 17.4%, other .4%, none 23% (2010 est.)

Sanitation Facility Access

Improved Rural

89.1% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Total

93.2% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Urban

94.4% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Rural

10.9% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Total

6.8% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

5.6% of population (2015 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

Female

14 years (2016)

Male

14 years

Total

14 years

Sex Ratio

0 14 Years

1.06 male(s)/female

15 24 Years

1.08 male(s)/female

25 54 Years

1.01 male(s)/female

55 64 Years

0.95 male(s)/female

65 Years And Over

0.84 male(s)/female

At Birth

1.06 male(s)/female

Total Population

0.99 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.71 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

Female

5.6% (2010 est.)

Male

6.4%

Total

6.1%

Urbanization

Rate Of Urbanization

0.14% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Urban Population

77.1% of total population (2019)

Administrative Divisions

15 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Artemisa, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara

Capital

Daylight Saving Time

+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - Cuba has been known to alter the schedule of DST on short notice in an attempt to conserve electricity for lighting

Geographic Coordinates

23 07 N, 82 21 W

Name

Havana

Time Difference

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

Citizenship By Birth

yes

Citizenship By Descent Only

yes

Dual Citizenship Recognized

no

Residency Requirement For Naturalization

unknown

Constitution

Amendments

proposed by the National Assembly of People&rsquo;s Power; passage requires approval of at least two-thirds majority of the National Assembly membership; amendments to constitutional articles on the authorities of the National Assembly, Council of State, or any rights and duties in the constitution also require approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on the Cuban political, social, and economic system cannot be amended (2018)

History

several previous; latest drafted 14 July 2018, approved by the National Assembly 22 December 2018, approved by referendum 24 February 2019

Country Name

Conventional Long Form

Republic of Cuba

Conventional Short Form

Cuba

Etymology

name derives from the Taino Indian designation for the island "coabana" meaning "great place"

Local Long Form

Republica de Cuba

Local Short Form

Cuba

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mara TEKACH (since 20 June 2018)

Embassy

Calzada between L & M Streets, Vedado, Havana

Mailing Address

use embassy street address

Telephone

[53] (7) 839-4100

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

Chancery

2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador Jose Ramon CABANAS Rodriguez (since 17 September 2015)

Telephone

[1] (202) 797-8518

Executive Branch

Cabinet

Council of Ministers proposed by the president and appointed by the National Assembly; it is subordinate to the 31-member Council of State, which is elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session

Chief Of State

President Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 10 October 2019); Vice President Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (since 10 October 2019); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

Election Results

Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (PCC) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 98.8%; Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (PCC) elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - 98.1%

Elections Appointments

president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (may be reelected for another 5-year term); election last held on 10 October 2019 (next to be held in 2024)

Head Of Government

President Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 10 October 2019); Vice President Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (since 10 October 2019)

Flag Description

five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center; the blue bands refer to the three old divisions of the island: central, occidental, and oriental; the white bands describe the purity of the independence ideal; the triangle symbolizes liberty, equality, and fraternity, while the red color stands for the blood shed in the independence struggle; the white star, called La Estrella Solitaria (the Lone Star) lights the way to freedom and was taken from the flag of Texas

Government Type

communist state

Independence

20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence

International Law Organization Participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International Organization Participation

ACP, ALBA, AOSIS, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial Branch

Highest Courts

People's Supreme Court (consists of court president, vice president, 41 professional justices, and NA lay judges); organization includes the State Council, criminal, civil, administrative, labor, crimes against the state, and military courts)

Judge Selection And Term Of Office

professional judges elected by the National Assembly are not subject to a specific term; lay judges nominated by workplace collectives and neighborhood associations and elected by municipal or provincial assemblies; lay judges appointed for 5-year terms and serve up to 30 days per year

Subordinate Courts

People's Provincial Courts; People's Regional Courts; People's Courts

Legal System

civil law system based on Spanish civil code

Legislative Branch

Description

unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular (605 seats; members directly elected by absolute majority vote; members serve 5-year terms); note - the National Candidature Commission submits a slate of approved candidates; to be elected, candidates must receive more than 50% of valid votes otherwise the seat remains vacant or the Council of State can declare another election

Election Results

Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed; composition - men 283, women 322, percent of women 53.2%

Elections

last held on 11 March 2018 (next to be held in early 2023)

National Anthem

Lyrics Music

Pedro FIGUEREDO

Name

"La Bayamesa" (The Bayamo Song)

National Holiday

Triumph of the Revolution (Liberation Day), 1 January (1959)

National Symbol S

royal palm; national colors: red, white, blue

Political Parties And Leaders

Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Raul CASTRO Ruz]

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Agriculture Products

sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock

Budget

Expenditures

64.64 billion (2017 est.)

Revenues

54.52 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

-10.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

NA

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

NA

Current Account Balance

2016

$2.008 billion

2017

$985.4 million

Debt External

31 December 2016

$29.89 billion

31 December 2017

$30.06 billion

Economy Overview

The government continues to balance the need for loosening its socialist economic system against a desire for firm political control. In April 2011, the government held the first Cuban Communist Party Congress in almost 13 years, during which leaders approved a plan for wide-ranging economic changes. Since then, the government has slowly and incrementally implemented limited economic reforms, including allowing Cubans to buy electronic appliances and cell phones, stay in hotels, and buy and sell used cars. The government has cut state sector jobs as part of the reform process, and it has opened up some retail services to "self-employment," leading to the rise of so-called "cuentapropistas" or entrepreneurs. More than 500,000 Cuban workers are currently registered as self-employed. The Cuban regime has updated its economic model to include permitting the private ownership and sale of real estate and new vehicles, allowing private farmers to sell agricultural goods directly to hotels, allowing the creation of non-agricultural cooperatives, adopting a new foreign investment law, and launching a "Special Development Zone" around the Mariel port. Since 2016, Cuba has attributed slowed economic growth in part to problems with petroleum product deliveries from Venezuela. Since late 2000, Venezuela provided petroleum products to Cuba on preferential terms, supplying at times nearly 100,000 barrels per day. Cuba paid for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela, including some 30,000 medical professionals.

Exchange Rates

2013

22.7

2014

1

2015

1

2016

1

2017

1

Currency

Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar -

Exports

2016

$2.546 billion

2017

$2.63 billion

Exports Commodities

petroleum, nickel, medical products, sugar, tobacco, fish, citrus, coffee

Exports Partners

Venezuela 17.8%, Spain 12.2%, Russia 7.9%, Lebanon 6.1%, Indonesia 4.5%, Germany 4.3% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

GDP Composition By End Use

Exports Of Goods And Services

14.6% (2017 est.)

Government Consumption

31.6% (2017 est.)

Household Consumption

57% (2017 est.)

Imports Of Goods And Services

-12.7% (2017 est.)

Investment In Fixed Capital

9.6% (2017 est.)

Investment In Inventories

0% (2017 est.)

GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin

Agriculture

4% (2017 est.)

Industry

22.7% (2017 est.)

Services

73.4% (2017 est.)

GDP Official Exchange Rate

$93.79 billion (2017 est.)

GDP Per Capita Ppp

2014

$12,100

2015

$12,200

2016

$12,300

GDP Purchasing Power Parity

2015

$134.2 billion

2016

$134.8 billion

2017

$137 billion

GDP Real Growth Rate

2015

4.4%

2016

0.5%

2017

1.6%

Gross National Saving

2015

12.1% of GDP

2016

12.3% of GDP

2017

11.4% of GDP

Imports

2016

$10.28 billion

2017

$11.06 billion

Imports Commodities

petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports Partners

China 22%, Spain 14%, Russia 5%, Brazil 5%, Mexico 4.9%, Italy 4.8%, US 4.5% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

-1.2% (2017 est.)

Industries

petroleum, nickel, cobalt, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, construction, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, sugar

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

2016

4.5%

2017

5.5%

Labor Force

4.691 million (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

Agriculture

18%

Industry

10%

Services

72% (2016 est.)

Public Debt

2016

42.7% of GDP

2017

47.7% of GDP

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

31 December 2016

$12.3 billion

31 December 2017

$11.35 billion

Stock Of Broad Money

31 December 2016

$21.92 billion

31 December 2017

$23.26 billion

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

2006

$4.138 billion

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment at Home

NA

Stock Of Domestic Credit

NA

Stock Of Narrow Money

31 December 2016

$21.92 billion

31 December 2017

$23.26 billion

Taxes And Other Revenues

58.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2016

2.4%

2017

2.6%

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

26.94 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

112,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Production

50,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

124 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

100% (2016)

Electricity Consumption

16.16 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

91% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

8% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

6.998 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

19.28 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

1.189 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

1.189 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

175,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

24,190 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

52,750 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

104,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

less than 1 (2017 est.)

Total

33,536

Broadcast Media

Government owns and controls all broadcast media: five national TV channels (Cubavision, Tele Rebelde, Multivision, Educational Channel 1 and 2,) 2 international channels (Cubavision Internacional and Caribe,) 16 regional TV stations, 6 national radio networks and multiple regional stations; the Cuban government beams over the Radio-TV Marti signal; although private ownership of electronic media is prohibited, several online independent news sites exist; those that are not openly critical of the government are often tolerated; the others are blocked by the government; there are no independent TV channels, but several outlets have created strong audiovisual content (El Toque, for example); a community of young Youtubers is also growing, mostly with channels about sports, technology and fashion; Christian denominations are creating original video content to distribute via social media (2019)

Internet Country Code

.cu

Internet Users

Percent Of Population

38.8% (July 2016 est.)

Total

4,334,022

Telephone System

Domestic

fixed-line density remains low at about 12 per 100 inhabitants; mobile-cellular service is expanding to about 41 per 100 persons (2018)

General Assessment

fixed-line and mobile services run by the state-run ETESCA; mobile-cellular telephone service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos; Cuban Government has opened several hundred Wi-Fi hotspots around the island, which are expensive, and launched a new residential Internet pilot in Havana and other provinces; as of 2018, 3G mobile service is available, if limited (2018)

International

country code - 53; the ALBA-1, GTMO-1, and GTMO-PR fiber-optic submarine cables link Cuba, Jamaica, and Venezuela; January 2016 the FCC allowed US firms to do business directly with the Cuban telecom sector, satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) (2019)

Telephones Fixed Lines

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

12 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

1,349,188

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

41 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

4,613,782

Airports

133 (2017)

Airports With Paved Runways

1 524 To 2 437 M

16 (2017)

2 438 To 3 047 M

10 (2017)

914 To 1 523 M

4 (2017)

Over 3 047 M

7 (2017)

Total

64 (2017)

Under 914 M

27 (2017)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

914 To 1 523 M

11 (2013)

Total

69 (2013)

Under 914 M

58 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

CU (2016)

Merchant Marine

By Type

general cargo 11, oil tanker 3, other 27 (2018)

Total

41

National Air Transport System

Annual Freight Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

20,919,645 mt-km (2015)

Annual Passenger Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

1,294,458 (2015)

Inventory Of Registered Aircraft Operated By Air Carriers

18 (2015)

Number Of Registered Air Carriers

4 (2015)

Pipelines

41 km gas, 230 km oil (2013)

Ports And Terminals

Antilla, Cienfuegos, Guantanamo, Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Nuevitas Bay, Santiago de Cuba

Railways

Narrow Gauge

172 km 1.000-m gauge (2017)

Standard Gauge

8,195 km 1.435-m gauge (124 km electrified) (2017)

Total

8,367 km (2017)

Roadways

Paved

20,000 km (2001)

Total

60,000 km (2015)

Unpaved

40,000 km (2001)

Waterways

240 km (almost all navigable inland waterways are near the mouths of rivers) (2011)

Military And Security Forces

Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR): Revolutionary Army (Ejercito Revolucionario, ER, includes and Production and Defense Brigades), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR, includes Marine Corps), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Forces (Defensas Anti-Aereas y Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria, DAAFAR); Paramilitary forces: Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT), Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT), Civil Defense Force. Ministry of Interior: Border Guards, State Security (2019)

Military Expenditures

2013

3.51% of GDP

2014

3.54% of GDP

2015

3.08% of GDP

2016

3.07% of GDP

2017

2.87% of GDP

Military Note

the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban military of its major economic and logistic support and had a significant impact on the state of Cuban equipment; the army remains well trained and professional in nature; the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment has increasingly affected operational capabilities (2019)

Military Service Age And Obligation

17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation for males, optional for females (2017)

Disputes International

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease

Illicit Drugs

territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999

Trafficking In Persons

Current Situation

Cuba is a source country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; child sex trafficking and child sex tourism occur in Cuba, while some Cubans are forced into prostitution in South America and the Caribbean; allegations have been made that some Cubans have been forced or coerced to work at Cuban medical missions abroad; assessing the scope of trafficking within Cuba is difficult because of the lack of information

Tier Rating

Tier 2 Watch List - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; Cuba’s penal code does not criminalize all forms of human trafficking, but the government reported that it is in the process of amending its criminal code to comply with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol, to which it acceded in 2013; the government in 2014 prosecuted and convicted 13 sex traffickers and provided services to the victims in those cases but does not have shelters specifically for trafficking victims; the government did not recognize forced labor as a problem and took no action to address it; state media produced newspaper articles and TV and radio programs to raise public awareness about sex trafficking (2015)