Cuba's private sector accounted for a majority of retail sales for the first time last year, new government data shows, a milestone for entrepreneurs in an economy otherwise grappling with a severe, years-long crisis.

Havana

Cuba's private sector has, for the first time, surpassed the government in retail sales, according to new data from the National Statistics Office. In 2024, the non-state sector was responsible for 55% of retail sales, up from 44% the previous year. This shift comes as the state-run economy has contracted by 11% over five years, leading to shortages and inflation. The government has gradually allowed more private enterprise since the early 1990s, resulting in about 1.6 million Cubans now working in the private sector. Imports by private businesses have also increased significantly, even as overall national imports have declined.

In communist Cuba, a private sector overtakes government sales

This bustling street market in Havana, drawing vendors and shoppers alike, underscores a milestone for Cuba. New government data shows that, for the first time, the communist country's private sector last year overtook the public sector in retail sales. Preliminary figures from the National Statistics Office indicate the non-state sector accounted for 55% of retail sales of goods and services in 2024, up from 44% the prior year. Diamela Garcia is an entrepreneur and vendor here at the 100th Street Bridge Fair Market and says the private sector's growth is due to simple necessity. This solves a large part of the problem, because sometimes when people go out to look for things, when they can't find them in state-owned stores, they can come here to these other options and find them in the private sector. A 1968 policy nationalized all private businesses. But Cuba's state-run economy has contracted by 11% over the last five years, marked by frequent blackouts, goods shortages and high inflation. The government has gradually expanded the role of private enterprises since the early 1990s, following the collapse of its former benefactor, the Soviet Union. That has meant an increasing number of Cubans are employed by the private sector, known here as TCP. Amet Perez is an administrator at the street market. I think it's a good idea to give them more opportunities, to create more jobs, because it's not just about selling. It's also about creating jobs so that we don't have everyone on the streets, and then TCP can be a good option. They can work for themselves. They are their own bosses, as they say. According to official figures, approximately 1.6 million people in a labor force of 4 million are employed in the private sector. Economy Minister Joaquin Alonso told the National Assembly earlier this year that while the country's overall imports have declined, imports by private businesses topped $1 billion, a 34% increase compared to the same period last year.

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