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Tuesday July 22, 2025

Can the Global South learn from Cuba?

While many developing countries continue to grapple with civil wars and internal instability, Cuba’s story serves as an inspiration

By Abdul Sattar
June 03, 2025
People gather in the street at night as Cuba is hit by an island-wide blackout, in Havana, Cuba, October 18, 2024. — AFP
People gather in the street at night as Cuba is hit by an island-wide blackout, in Havana, Cuba, October 18, 2024. — AFP

World War II left a trail of death and destruction, bringing misery and impoverishment to millions across the globe. It was especially catastrophic for Europe, China, and parts of the Pacific, where it claimed millions of lives and cast a long shadow of despair and hopelessness.

Amid this bleakness, however, a sense of hope and renewal emerged in colonised regions that Western colonial powers had long dominated. One after another, nations broke free from the shackles of slavery and subjugation, forcing their colonial rulers to either withdraw or face the wrath of oppressed populations who were no longer afraid to use force to expel those who had plundered their resources and exploited their people.

Countries such as Algeria, Vietnam, Angola, Ghana and many others waged relentless struggles to free themselves from colonial domination. Some pursued political means, while others turned to armed resistance to dismantle colonial regimes. These nations made tremendous sacrifices in their pursuit of independence.

Western hegemonic powers often claimed that these colonised peoples were incapable of governing themselves. They pointed to tribal, ethnic, and religious divisions and argued that these societies needed time – and colonial oversight – to develop effective governance structures.

Many post-colonial states retained the political systems established by their former rulers. Even today, several repressive laws in countries like Pakistan and India are remnants of colonial rule, used to suppress dissent and control populations. However, some newly independent nations dismantled these exploitative systems and developed their own governance frameworks.

Although not colonised in the same way as many Global South nations, China was subjected to the hegemony of the US, Japan, the UK and other powers. The opium trade was forced upon China, plunging it into a cycle of devastation. But Chinese leadership eventually abolished this oppressive system and replaced it with one that began to address the people's suffering.

In the decades that followed, China made remarkable progress. It lifted over 600 million people from poverty, increased life expectancy from 37 years in 1949 to over 65 (and later to around 72), and achieved near-universal literacy. China also stunned the world with its rapid advancements in science and technology. Vietnam, too, is a success story, achieving significant economic progress despite enormous challenges. Other nations – Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Bangladesh – have also made varying degrees of progress. Yet perhaps no country has faced as many sanctions and conspiracies as Cuba.

Author, journalist and political commentator Ullekh N P, based in New Delhi and Kerala, undertook extensive research to understand Cuba, including a visit to the island. The result was his insightful 2024 book 'Mad About Cuba', which explores the nation’s history, culture, politics and achievements while also acknowledging its ongoing challenges under a heavy sanctions regime.

Citing various reports and studies, Ullekh suggests that despite sanctions causing estimated losses of around $144 billion, the communist nation has made impressive gains in many areas. Being from Kerala, Ullekh notes the strong affinity many in his home state feel toward Cuba. Kerala’s 33 million residents continue to show keen interest in the lives and politics of Cuba’s 11 million citizens. He draws parallels between the two, highlighting high female literacy rates (Kerala at 97.9 per cent, Cuba at 99 per cent), zero population growth and strong public health systems, particularly in maternal and child health.

Ullekh also sheds light on Cuba’s exploitation by foreign powers. By 1907, foreigners – mostly Americans – owned approximately 60 per cent of rural land in Cuba; Spanish residents owned 15 per cent, and only 25 per cent was in the hands of Cubans. The Agrarian Reform Law of May 17, 1959, redistributed land to over 100,000 small farmers and their families, benefiting more than half a million people. The Urban Reform Law of October 17, 1960, allowed tenants to buy homes over a 20-year period, with payments capped at about 30 per cent of their monthly income.

He asserts that Cuba has achieved remarkable feats in the health sector. Citing various reports, he writes: “Cuba’s infant mortality rate of four per 1,000 live births is lower than that of the US. Cuba has 8.42 physicians per 1,000 people, compared to 2.61 in the US, 3 in the UK, 5.04 in Norway....4.64 in Finland, 0.74 in India, and 2.23 in China. The country boasts nearly 50,000 medical professors, over 100,000 doctors, and approximately 100,000 nurses.”

While countries like India, Pakistan, and many other developing nations allocate only a minimal portion of their budgets to healthcare, the small communist nation devotes 27.5 per cent of its national budget to the health sector, equivalent to over 12 per cent of its GDP (compared to 2.1 per cent in India and 6.5 per cent in China in fiscal year 2022). “The average life expectancy in Cuba exceeds 79 years, comparable to that of advanced nations. With near-universal literacy, Cuba also has the highest number of centenarians per million inhabitants.”

Notably, around 500,000 people are employed in Cuban healthcare and related fields, with 70 per cent of doctors being specialists and the rest general practitioners. “After the Cuban Revolution, half of the country’s 6,000 doctors fled, forcing the country to rebuild its medical workforce. By 2008, the training system had expanded to the point where Cuba was training 20,000 foreign students annually to become doctors, nurses, and dentists – largely free of charge.”

Quoting a 2021 report, the author notes that Cuba’s healthcare system is anchored by 436 community polyclinics and 15,000 consultation centres spread across the country. “Each polyclinic serves a population of 30,000 to 60,000 and operates closely with 20 to 40 consultation centres.”

The country maintains a basic list of essential medicines, updated annually, comprising more than 600 drugs. “Nearly 70 per cent of these medicines are produced domestically, while the remaining 30 per cent are imported. Over the past fifty years, Cuba has sent an estimated 400,000 doctors on solidarity missions to disaster-stricken regions across the globe.”

Cuba’s achievements are not limited to health and education. Despite numerous challenges, it has also made significant progress in sports. “Since 1972, Cuban boxers have won 42 Olympic gold medals – more than any other nation in that period – even though Cuba did not participate in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. The most recent gold was won by Cuban lightweight boxer Erislandy Alvarez at the Paris 2024 Olympics.”

While many developing countries continue to grapple with civil wars and internal instability, Cuba’s story serves as an inspiration. It shows what can be accomplished by defying the odds and investing in human development and public welfare.


The writer is a freelance journalist who can be reached at: egalitarianism444@gmail.com