FRFI 219 February/March 2011

Before the Cuban Revolution, 60 children out of every 1,000 live births in Cuba died before they reached one year old. This infant mortality ratio has fallen gradually as a consequence of Cuba’s socialist development. In 2010 it fell to a record low of 4.5 per 1,000 live births (down from 4.8 in 2009) – better than Britain (4.6) and better than the United States (6.8).

Infant mortality statistics are important indicators of the socio-economic conditions within any nation. They reflect the health of the mother which is affected by issues such as safe and adequate water supply, housing and employment conditions, educational level, sufficient and appropriate food and preventative, primary and secondary health care. Infant mortality is also a reflection of the availability of maternal and child health services, including antenatal care (reducing the incidence of low birthweight babies) and trained health professionals at births,  clean water and sanitation. It is an indication of the provision of vaccinations and regular child development monitoring programmes and the general health of the population, including incidence of other diseases such as HIV, TB and malaria.

Cuba’s maternal mortality also fell to 43.6 per 100,000 pregnancies (down from 46.9 in 2009) and under-fives mortality fell to 5.9 per 1,000 (down from 6.1 in 2009). According to a recent UNICEF report, Cuba is the only country in Latin America and the Caribbean to have eliminated severe child malnutrition. 3.8 million Haitians – over one-third of the population – are malnourished. Internationally, five million children die from hunger every year.

Other Cuban statistics to applaud include GDP growth of 2.1% in 2010 and an increase in exports by 12.9% in 2010, to a total value of $13.6 billion, accompanied by a fall in imports by 3.3%, to $9 billion. This produced a $3.9 billion trade surplus (almost double that of 2009), demonstrating progress in the country’s efforts to improve its balance of payments and deficit problems. International prices increased for Cuba’s main exports: nickel, petroleum derivatives and medical and technical services, while revenues from tourism increased. Cuba’s budget deficit (6.9% of GDP in 2008 and 4.8% in 2009) fell to 3.8% in 2010.

Helen Yaffe and Hannah Caller