Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in 30 years. In 2014, negotiations between Cuban President Raúl Castro's government and US President Barack Obama's administration had raised hopes of a gradual end to the economic sanctions imposed by the United States. But the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House in 2017 and the collapse of tourism revenues with the Covid-19 pandemic have led to an economic disaster on a scale not seen since the early 1990s.

Politically, the Communist Party remains the only authorised party on the island, and Cubans increasingly resent the restrictions on their freedoms. More than 1,000 political prisoners are still behind bars following the repression of peaceful demonstrations in July 2021. Since then, tens of thousands of Cubans are leaving the country each month, a mass emigration that shows no sign of slowing down.