Cuba’s population falls below 10 million as young people leave the Island
Cuba’s population has dropped below 10 million for the first time since the 1980s.
Experts say more people are leaving the island, especially young workers, while fewer babies are being born and the number of elderly people keeps growing.
New figures show that by the end of 2024, Cuba had about 9.7 million people. That’s a drop of over 300,000 in just one year. The number of people living in Cuba has been falling fast over the last decade, especially since the economy started to struggle.
In 2012, Cuba had around 11.2 million people. Since then, the country has lost about 13 percent of its population.
Many Cubans, especially young adults, are leaving the island in search of better jobs and living conditions and leaving behind the older population.
Today, one in four Cubans is aged 60 or above.
“A quarter of the island's population is aged 60 and over, and it is the only demographic category that has grown in recent years,” said Juan Carlos Alfonso Fraga, a top official at Cuba’s National Office of Statistics.
The number of births in 2024 hit a new low since the Cuban revolution in 1959. There were only 71,000 babies born, compared to 90,000 in 2023.
In addition, more people are dying each year, adding to the population drop.
The decrease in population is raising huge concerns for Cubans.
