Ankara: Some 94% of Cubans live in extreme poverty and eight in 10 have been forced to skip at least one meal due to a lack of food or money, according to a new report by the Madrid-based Cuban Observatory for Human Rights.

According to Anadolu Agency, the percentage of Cubans living in extreme poverty rose from 89% in 2025 to 94% this year, based on the World Bank's extreme poverty threshold. The study revealed that 68% of respondents reported monthly household incomes below 20,000 Cuban pesos, roughly $30.

Power outages emerged as the country's most urgent social problem, followed by issues such as food shortages, the cost of living, health care, salaries, and insecurity. The report also highlighted deteriorating housing conditions, noting that nearly half of the respondents live in homes needing repairs, with 25% requiring urgent repairs and 7% at risk of collapse.

The deterioration of public services was another major concern, with negative assessments particularly for the electricity system, followed by garbage collection, telephone and internet services, sewage systems, and health care. The report indicated that 95% of respondents view the government's management negatively or very negatively, and 84% expressed distrust in the economic measures implemented by authorities to address the crisis.

Despite these challenges, half of those surveyed expect a favorable and significant change for the Cuban people within the next six months. Meanwhile, 76% of respondents expressed a desire for future changes to include both political and economic reforms, while 9% favored economic changes only.

Yaxys Cires, director of strategy at the Spanish-based group, described the findings as evidence of the "growing impoverishment of Cuban families." The survey, conducted from June 27 to July 29, spanned all 15 Cuban provinces and 79 municipalities, using face-to-face interviews assisted by mobile devices, with the sample stratified by place of residence, gender, age, and racial group.