01Key Takeaways
- Cuba imported $9.83 billion worth of goods in 2022, up 16.6% from $8.43 billion in 2021.
- Mineral fuels were the largest import category at 33.9% of value, worth $3.33 billion, more than four times the next largest category.
- The largest single share, 35.9% ($3.53 billion), is recorded under unspecified sources rather than a named trading partner.
- China was the top named supplier at 11.5% ($1.13 billion), followed by Spain at 10.1% ($995.9 million); the United States ranked fourth despite the decades-long embargo.
024-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $9.9B | $7.2B | $8.4B | $9.8B |
03Top Import Markets (2022)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Areas, nes | $3.5B | 35.9% |
| 2 | China | $1.1B | 11.5% |
| 3 | Spain | $995.9M | 10.1% |
| 4 | United States | $449.9M | 4.6% |
| 5 | Argentina | $344.9M | 3.5% |
| 6 | Mexico | $341.9M | 3.5% |
| 7 | Brazil | $335.7M | 3.4% |
| 8 | Germany | $246.9M | 2.5% |
| 9 | Italy | $227.6M | 2.3% |
| 10 | Vietnam | $218.8M | 2.2% |
04Top Import Categories (2022)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $3.3B | 33.9% |
| 2 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $742.6M | 7.6% |
| 3 | Cereals | $602.3M | 6.1% |
| 4 | Meat and Edible Meat Offal | $551.4M | 5.6% |
| 5 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $485.5M | 4.9% |
| 6 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $314.6M | 3.2% |
| 7 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $287.0M | 2.9% |
| 8 | Beverages, Spirits and Vinegar | $232.3M | 2.4% |
| 9 | Dairy Produce; Birds' Eggs; Natural Honey; Edible Products of Animal Origin, not elsewhere specified or included | $220.5M | 2.2% |
| 10 | Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils and their Cleavage Products; Prepared Edible Fats; Animal or Vegetable Waxes | $206.1M | 2.1% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Mineral Fuels Lead an Import Mix Weighted Toward Fuel and Food
Cuba imported $9.83 billion worth of goods in 2022. That was up 16.6% from $8.43 billion the year before. Mineral fuels led every other import category by a wide margin. The category alone cost $3.33 billion, worth 33.9% of total import value. That is more than four times the next largest category. Cuba runs a persistent and growing energy deficit of its own. Domestic crude production covers only a fraction of demand. Years of underinvestment have also left the country's power plants and single refinery running well below capacity. Machinery and mechanical appliances followed at 7.6% ($742.6 million). Cereals added 6.1% ($602.3 million), and meat and edible meat offal contributed 5.6% ($551.4 million). Food and fuel together account for a substantial share of what Cuba brings in from abroad. That reflects how thin the country's own agricultural and energy output runs relative to demand.
Electrical machinery contributed 4.9% ($485.5 million). Plastics added 3.2% ($314.6 million), and vehicles a further 2.9% ($287.0 million). Beverages, spirits and vinegar took 2.4% ($232.3 million). Dairy produce, eggs and honey added 2.2% ($220.5 million), and animal and vegetable fats and oils closed out the top ten at 2.1% ($206.1 million). Cash-basis food sales from the United States have continued since 2000 under a narrow humanitarian exception to the embargo. That carve-out has made the US one of Cuba's more visible agricultural suppliers, even as the broader trade relationship stays frozen. That exception helps explain why food categories like cereals and meat sit so high on Cuba's import list. It also explains why the United States appears among the country's top ten suppliers despite six decades of sanctions.
The US Ranks Fourth Even Under a Six-Decade Embargo
Most of Cuba's import value in 2022 does not trace to a single named country either. The largest share, 35.9% ($3.53 billion), is recorded under unspecified sources in the trade data, the same reporting pattern seen on the export side. Given how much of the import bill is fuel, and how opaque some of Cuba's energy shipments have become, that pattern fits the broader picture. Among the identified suppliers, China ranks first, providing 11.5% of total imports, worth $1.13 billion. Spain follows at 10.1% ($995.9 million). United States ranks fourth at 4.6% ($449.9 million). That is a striking figure given the embargo, though it lines up with the cash-basis food exception described above.
Argentina supplied 3.5% ($344.9 million), and Mexico followed closely at 3.5% ($341.9 million). Mexico's presence on the list has grown in recent years. Mexican crude has helped cover some of the shortfall left by declining Venezuelan shipments to Cuba. Most of that additional oil arrives too recently to show up fully in this snapshot. Brazil supplied 3.4% ($335.7 million), Germany 2.5% ($246.9 million), Italy 2.3% ($227.6 million), and Vietnam rounded out the top ten at 2.2% ($218.8 million).
A Four-Year Climb Interrupted Only by the Pandemic
Confirmed import data for Cuba currently covers four years, from 2019 through 2022, rather than a full five-year span. Within that window, imports stood at $9.90 billion in 2019. They fell sharply to $7.23 billion in 2020, as the pandemic curtailed global trade and Cuba's own tourism-dependent hard-currency earnings. Imports then recovered to $8.43 billion in 2021 and climbed further to $9.83 billion in 2022, a 16.6% increase. That leaves the 2022 total just below the level recorded in 2019, still short of a full recovery. Fuel and food import needs do not disappear even when the economy contracts. That helps explain why the drop in 2020 was sharp but the rebound that followed was just as fast. For a closer look at how individual partner countries or product categories moved, the data panels above provide the full detail behind these figures.