Hard Numbers

Hard number: Cuba gets bigger bills for bigger problems

The number of new banknotes Cuba issued this month to deal with rampant inflation. The 2,000 and 5,000 Cuban peso notes are roughly worth $4 and $10, respectively.
The number of new banknotes Cuba issued this month to deal with rampant inflation. The 2,000 and 5,000 Cuban peso notes are roughly worth $4 and $10, respectively.
Natalie Johnson

Cubans are no strangers to carrying large bundles of cash just to get through daily shopping, a habit born from years of relentless inflation. Things have only gotten worse lately, since a de facto US oil blockade sent prices even higher. To ease the burden of transactions, Havana is introducing two new banknotes, the largest of which is worth five times as much as anything previously in circulation.

More For You

Elderly people dance at a park in Beijing, China January 16, 2024.
REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Last week, the US’s fertility rate hit a record low: CDC data for 2025 showed that for every 1000 women aged 15 to 44, only 53 gave birth each year, down from 54 the previous year.