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.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): Gross national saving: GDP - composition, by end use: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Budget: Taxes and other revenues: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): Public debt: Fiscal year: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: Exchange rates:
$132.9 billion (2016 est.)
$134.2 billion (2015 est.)
$128.5 billion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 80
$81.56 billion (2013 est.)
note: data are in Cuban Pesos at 1 CUP = 1 US$; official exchange rate
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
-0.9% (2016 est.)
4.4% (2015 est.)
1% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$11,900 (2016 est.)
$12,200 (2015 est.)
$11,600 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 132
10.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
11% of GDP (2016 est.)
12.1% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]
household consumption: 58.2%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 31.7%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 9.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: 0%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 13.6%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -13.5% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]
agriculture: 3.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 21.5%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 74.2% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]
sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock
petroleum, nickel, cobalt, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, construction, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, sugar
0.6% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
4.691 million
note: state sector 72.3%, non-state sector 27.7% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 18%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 10%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services: 72% (2013 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
2.2% (2017 est.)
2% (2016 est.)
note: data are official rates; unofficial estimates are about double the official figures
country comparison to the world: 18
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
NA%
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: NA%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: NA%
revenues: $52.36 billion
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $60.57 billion (2017 est.)
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
64.2% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]
-10.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]
35.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
32.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
calendar year
4.8% (2017 est.)
4.5% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
NA%
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
NA%
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$23.49 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$21.92 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$50.2 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$48.19 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$NA
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$985.4 million (2017 est.)
$2.008 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$2.885 billion (2017 est.)
$2.535 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
petroleum, nickel, medical products, sugar, tobacco, fish, citrus, coffee
Russia 22.9%, Venezuela 15.4%, Spain 10.3% (2016)
$10.84 billion (2017 est.)
$10.28 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals
China 29.2%, Spain 14%, Italy 5.1%, Brazil 4.7%, Mexico 4.4%, Russia 4.3%, Canada 4.1%, US 4% (2016)
$12.8 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$12.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$20.55 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$20.59 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$NA
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$4.138 billion (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar -
1 (2017 est.)
1 (2016 est.)
1 (2015 est.)
1 (2014 est.)
22.7 (2013 est.)