Cuba’s Population Shrinks by 1.4 Million in Five Years

Cuba’s population has declined nearly 13% from 2020 through 2024, according to recently released data by the island’s National Statistics and Information Office (ONEI). In 2024, the population was 9.7 million, 1.4 million less than in 2020.

Cuba has been going through its largest emigration wave in history, as people flee a deepening economic crisis fueled by U.S. sanctions. The U.S. is by far the largest recipient of Cuban immigrants.

Unofficial reports estimate Cuba’s population loss is even greater.

The damage of this emigration is catastrophic for the island: hundreds of thousands of young people, many of them professionals, have left.

Cuba’s education, health and scientific sectors are facing personnel shortages. It is even more alarming given Cuba’s aging patterns, to which low birth rates and relatively high life expectancy also contribute. Cuba’s 71,358 births in 2024 are the country’s lowest in 65 years.

The report points out that more than 25% of the population is over 60 years old, making Cuba one of the fastest-aging countries in Latin America.