Camila Pineiro, an expert and consultant on the solidarity economy and cooperatives in Cuba, examines how the cooperative sector has evolved and the role cooperatives are playing in shaping Cuban society. A country of around 10 million people, Cuba has more than 5,000 cooperatives. As part of the reform process over the last decade, cooperatives have already achieved a prominent role in the Cuban economy and are expected to expand and develop further in the near future.