Demographics of Cuba

The demographic characteristics of Cuba are known through census which have been conducted and analyzed by different bureaus since 1774. The National Office of Statistics of Cuba (ONE) since 1953. The most recent census was conducted in September 2012. The population of Cuba at the 2012 census was 11.2 million. The population density is 100.7 inhabitants per square kilometer, and the overall life expectancy in Cuba is 78.0 years. The population has always increased from one census to the next, with the exception of the 2012 census, when the count decreased by 10,000. Since 1740, Cuba's birth rate has surpassed its death rate; the natural growth rate of the country is positive. Cuba is in the fourth stage of demographic transition. In terms of age structure, the population is dominated (71.1%) by the 15- to 64-year-old segment. The median age of the population is 39.5, and the gender ratio of the total population is 0.99 males per female.

Demographics of Cuba
Scatter plot of the population of Cuba (in thousands), 1774–2012
Population	11,167,325 (2012) 11,210,064 (2013) 11,238,317 (2014) 11,239,004 (2015) 11,239,224 (2016) 11,221,060 (2017) 11,209,628 (2018) 11,193,470 (2019)
Density	263.9 per squ. mile/ 101.9 per squ. km (2019)
Growth rate	-0.1% (2002–12)
Birth rate	9.92 births/1,000 inhabitants (2013 est.)
Death rate	7.58 deaths/1,000 inhabitants(2013 est.)
Life expectancy	78.0 years (2013 est.)
• male	75.8 years (2013 est.)
• female	80.4 years (2013 est.)
Fertility rate	1.45 children/women (2013 est.)
Infant mortality rate	4.76 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	16.6% (2013 est.)
15–64 years	71.1% (2013 est.)
65 and over	12.3% (2013 est.)
Sex ratio
Total	0.99 (2013 est.)
At birth	1.06 (2013 est.)
Under 15	1.06 (2013 est.)
15–64 years	1.01 (2013 est.)
65 and over	0.82 (2013 est.)
Nationality
Nationality	Cuban
Language
Official	Spanish

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1774	171,620	—
1792	272,300	+2.60%
1817	572,363	+3.02%
1827	704,487	+2.10%
1841	1,007,624	+2.59%
1861	1,396,530	+1.65%
1877	1,509,291	+0.49%
1899	1,572,797	+0.19%
1907	2,048,980	+3.36%
1919	2,889,004	+2.90%
1931	3,962,344	+2.67%
1943	4,778,583	+1.57%
1953	5,829,029	+2.01%
1970	8,569,121	+2.29%
1981	9,723,605	+1.16%
2002	11,177,743	+0.67%
2012	11,167,325	−0.01%
Source: [1]

According to the 2002 census, Cuba's population was 11,177,743, whereas the 2012 census numbered the population at 11,167,325.[2] The drop between the 2002 and 2012 censuses was the first drop in Cuba's population since Cuba's war of independence. This drop was due to low fertility and emigration, as during this time (fiscal years 2003-2012), 332,028 Cubans received legal permanent residence in the United States.[3] In the last few years before the end of the wet feet, dry feet policy on January 12, 2017, the number of Cubans moving to the United States significantly outnumbered the natural increase during those years.

Population by region (2015)

Population and Area by region
Province	Area (km²)	Area (%)	Population	Population (%)	Density
Cuba Total	109,886.19	100	11 232 305	100	101.72
Pinar del Río	10,904.03	9.92	726,574	6.50	66.63
La Habana	5,791.59	5.22	711,066	6.36	124.06
Ciudad de la Habana	721.01	0.66	2,201,610	19.70	3053.49
Matanzas	11,802.72	10.74	670,427	6.00	56.80
Villa Clara	8,412.41	7.06	817,395	7.31	97.17
Cienfuegos	4,180.02	3.80	395,183	3.54	94.54
Sancti Spíritus	6,736.51	6.13	460,328	4.12	68.33
Ciego de Ávila	6,783.13	6.17	411,766	3.68	60.70
Camagüey	15,615.02	14.21	784,178	7.02	50.22
Las Tunas	6,587.75	6.00	525,485	4.70	79.77
Holguín	9,292.83	8.46	1,021,321	9.14	109.90
Granma	8,375.49	7.62	822,452	7.36	98,20
Santiago de Cuba	6,156.44	5.60	1,036,281	9.27	168.32
Guantánamo	6,167.97	5.61	507,118	4.54	82.22
Isla de la Juventud	2,419.27	2.20	86,559	0.77	35.78

Largest cities

See Also List of cities in Cuba

Nº, City, Population, Province

• 1 Havana, 2,131,480, Havana
• 2 Santiago de Cuba, 433,581, Santiago de Cuba
• 3 Camagüey, 308,902, Camagüey
• 4 Holguín, 297,433, Holguín
• 5 Santa Clara, 216,855, Villa Clara
• 6 Guantánamo, 216,003, Guantánamo
• 7 Las Tunas, 173,552, Las Tunas
• 8 Bayamo, 159,966, Granma
• 9 Cienfuegos, 151,838, Cienfuegos
• 10 Pinar del Río, 145,193, Pinar del Río
• 11 Matanzas, 143,363, Matanzas
• 12 Ciego de Ávila, 120,446, Ciego de Ávila

Vital statistics

	Average population[5][6]	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	Total fertility rate	Infant mortality rate
1948		157,364	40,190	117,174				—	—
1949		160,628	40,538	120,090				—	—
1950	5,920,000	163,122	39,190	123,932	27.9	6.7	21.2	—	—
1951	6,051,000	142,693	40,939	101,754	23.9	6.9	17.0	—	—
1952	6,180,000	143,750	37,221	106,529	23.6	6.1	17.5	—	—
1953	6,305,000	150,000	37,161	112,839	24.2	6.0	18.2	—	—
1954	6,424,000	160,000	35,712	124,288	25.4	5.7	19.7	—	—
1955	6,539,000	170,000	37,264	132,736	26.5	5.8	20.7	—	—
1956	6,652,000	170,607	42,811	127,796	27.6	5.6	22.0	—	—
1957	6,765,000	170,946	46,857	124,089	28.4	6.1	22.3	—	—
1958	6,881,000	176,510	49,093	127,417	29.7	6.3	23.4	—	—
1959	7,005,000	191,207	50,865	140,342	29.8	6.4	23.4	—	—
1960	7,141,000	211,620	42,670	168,950	30.8	6.2	24.6	—	—
1961	7,290,000	231,811	46,066	185,745	32.9	6.4	26.5	—	—
1962	7,450,000	249,113	50,621	198,492	35.9	7.1	28.8	—	—
1963	7,618,000	260,224	49,188	211,036	34.6	6.7	27.9	—	—
1964	7,787,000	266,554	47,996	218,558	34.8	6.3	28.5	—	—
1965	7,952,000	263,975	50,027	213,948	34.0	6.5	27.6	—	—
1966	8,110,000	255,413	50,846	204,567	32.3	6.4	25.9	—	—
1967	8,264,000	255,311	51,030	204,281	31.7	6.3	25.3	—	—
1968	8,413,000	246,807	53,920	192,887	30.1	6.6	23.5	—	—
1969	8,563,000	238,095	55,654	182,441	28.5	6.7	21.8	—	—
1970	8,715,000	237,019	53,761	183,258	27.8	6.3	21.5	—	—
1971	8,870,000	256,014	54,109	201,905	29.5	6.2	23.2	—	—
1972	9,025,000	247,997	48,534	199,463	28.0	5.5	22.5	—	—
1973	9,176,000	226,005	51,238	174,767	25.1	5.7	19.4	—	—
1974	9,315,000	203,066	51,724	151,342	22.1	5.6	16.5	—	—
1975	9,438,000	192,941	50,961	142,958	20.7	5.5	15.4	—	—
1976	9,544,000	187,555	53,080	134,475	19.9	5.6	14.3	—	—
1977	9,634,000	168,960	56,084	112,876	17.8	5.9	11.9	—	—
1978	9,710,000	148,249	55,100	93,149	15.5	5.8	9.7	—	—
1979	9,776,000	143,551	54,838	88,713	14.9	5.7	9.2	—	—
1980	9,835,000	136,900	55,707	81,193	14.1	5.7	8.4	—	—
1981	9,886,000	136,211	57,941	78,397	13.9	5.9	8.0	—	—
1982	9,931,000	159,759	56,224	103,274	16.2	5.7	10.5	—	—
1983	9,975,000	165,284	58,348	106,938	16.6	5.9	10.8	—	—
1984	10,029,000	166,281	59,801	106,386	16.6	6.0	10.6	—	—
1985	10,097,000	182,067	64,415	117,637	18.0	6.4	11.6	—	—
1986	10,184,000	166,049	63,145	102,904	16.3	6.2	10.1	—	—
1987	10,286,000	179,477	65,079	114,398	17.4	6.3	11.1	—	—
1988	10,396,000	187,911	67,944	119,967	18.0	6.5	11.5	—	—
1989	10,504,000	184,891	67,356	117,535	17.6	6.4	11.2	—	—
1990	10,662,000	186,658	72,144	114,514	17.6	6.8	10.8	—	—
1991	10,756,000	173,896	71,709	102,187	16.3	6.7	9.6	—	—
1992	10,829,000	157,349	75,457	81,892	14.6	7.0	7.6	—	—
1993	10,895,000	152,226	78,531	73,695	14.1	7.3	6.8	—	—
1994	10,912,000	147,265	78,648	68,617	13.5	7.2	6.3	—	—
1995	10,947,000	147,170	77,937	69,233	13.5	7.1	6.3	—	—
1996	10,983,000	148,276	79,662	68,614	13.5	7.3	6.2	—	—
1997	11,033,000	152,681	77,316	75,365	13.8	7.0	6.8	—	—
1998	11,076,000	151,080	77,565	73,515	13.7	7.0	6.6	—	—
1999	11,113,000	150,871	79,499	71,372	13.6	7.2	6.4	—	—
2000	11,146,000	143,528	76,463	67,065	12.9	6.9	6.0	—	—
2001	11,168,000	138,718	79,395	59,323	12.4	7.1	5.3	—	—
2002	11,200,000	141,276	73,882	67,394	12.6	6.6	6.0	—	—
2003	11,215,000	136,795	78,434	58,361	12.2	7.0	5.2	—	—
2004	11,217,000	127,192	81,110	46,082	11.3	7.2	4.1	—	—
2005	11,218,000	120,716	84,824	35,892	10.7	7.5	3.2		—
2006	11,202,000	111,323	80,831	30,492	9.9	7.2	2.7		—
2007	11,188,000	112,472	81,927	30,545	10.0	7.2	2.7		—
2008	11,173,000	122,569	86,423	36,146	10.9	7.7	3.2	1.60	4.7
2009	11,174,000	130,036	86,943	43,093	11.6	7.7	3.8	1.70	4.8
2010	11,167,000	127,746	91,065	36,681	11.4	8.1	3.3	1.69	4.5
2011	11,175,000	133,067	87,044	46,023	11.8	7.7	4.1	1.77	4.9
2012	11,173,000	125,674	89,372	36,302	11.3	8.0	3.3	1.69
2013	11,210,000	125,880	92,273	33,607	11.2	8.3	2.9	1.71	4.2
2014	11,238,000	122,643	96,330	26,313	10.9	8.6	2.3	1.68	4.2
2015	11,239,000	125,064	99,693	25,371	11.1	8.9	2.2	1.72	4.3
2016	11,239,000	116,872	99,399	17,473	10.4	8.8	1.6	1.63	4.3
2017	11,221,000	114,971	106,941	8,030	10.2	9.5	0.7	1.61	4.0
2018	11,209,000	116,333	106,201	10,132	10.4	9.5	0.9	1.65	4.0
2019	11,193,000	109,716	109,080	636	9.8	9.7	0.1	1.57	5.0

Structure of the population (2012)

Structure of the population[7]

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	5 570 825	5 596 500	11 167 325	100
0-4	321 422	303 770	625 192	5,60
5-9	305 672	288 427	594 099	5,32
10-14	362 252	341 019	703 271	6,30
15-19	363 986	340 140	704 126	6,31
20-24	426 956	399 702	826 658	7,40
25-29	388 961	366 768	755 729	6,77
30-34	318 339	305 141	623 480	5,58
35-39	421 389	417 242	838 631	7,51
40-44	504 738	510 284	1 015 022	9,09
45-49	511 501	529 712	1 041 213	9,32
50-54	378 808	395 691	774 499	6,94
55-59	302 073	321 940	624 013	5,59
60-64	274 261	290 374	564 635	5,06
65-69	230 423	250 494	480 917	4,31
70-74	182 623	198 274	380 897	3,41
75-79	123 987	140 936	264 923	2,37
80-84	82 067	97 603	179 670	1,61
85+	71 367	98 983	170 350	1,53

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	989 346	933 216	1 922 562	17,22
15-64	3 891 012	3 876 994	7 768 006	69,56
65+	690 467	786 290	1 476 757	13,22

Structure of the population (01.07.2013) (Estimates):[8]

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	5 580 810	5 610 798	11 191 608	100
0-4	321 478	303 526	625 004	5,58
5-9	301 959	284 488	586 447	5,24
10-14	359 531	338 675	698 206	6,24
15-19	363 489	340 163	703 652	6,29
20-24	422 593	395 300	817 893	7,31
25-29	395 116	372 190	767 305	6,86
30-34	323 405	309 400	632 805	5,65
35-39	404 654	400 360	805 014	7,19
40-44	504 560	508 992	1 013 551	9,06
45-49	510 718	528 487	1 039 204	9,29
50-54	397 073	414 802	811 875	7,25
55-59	300 439	320 991	621 430	5,55
60-64	278 891	296 070	574 961	5,14
65-69	233 904	255 751	489 654	4,38
70-74	185 892	202 686	388 578	3,47
75-79	125 408	143 251	268 659	2,40
80-84	81 997	98 823	180 819	1,62
85+	69 707	96 849	166 556	1,49

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	982 968	926 689	1 909 657	17,06
15-64	3 900 934	3 886 749	7 787 683	69,59
65+	696 908	797 360	1 494 268	13,35

Racial groups

Year	White	Mulatto and Mestizo	Black
2002[7]	65.06%	24.86%	10.08%
2012[7]	64.12%	26.62%	9.26%

Age group	Cuba 100% (percent of the population)	White 64,12% (percent in the race/percent in the age group)	Black 9,26% (percent in the race/percent in the age group)	Mulatto/Mestizo 26,62% (percent in the race/percent in the age group)
Population	11 167 325	7 160 399	1 034 044	2 972 882
0	131 419 (1,18%)	91 432 (1,28%/69,57%)	5 368 (0,52%/4,08%)	34 619 (1,16%/26,34%)
0-4	625 192 (5,60%)	412 604 (5,76%/66,00%)	31 828 (3,08%/5,09%)	180 760 (6,08%/28,91%)
5-9	594 099 (5,32%)	372 304 (5,20%/62,67%)	38 481 (3,72%/6,48%)	183 314 (6,17%/30,86%)
10-14	703 271 (6,30%)	439 406 (6,14%/62,48%)	52 121 (5,04%/7,41%)	211 744 (7,12%/30,11%)
15-19	704 126 (6,31%)	434 944 (6,07%/61,77%)	57 638 (5,57%/8,19%)	211 544 (7,12%/30,04%)
20-24	826 658 (7,40%)	511 488 (7,14%/61,87%)	71 570 (6,92%/8,66%)	243 600 (8,19%/29,47%)
25-29	755 729 (6,77%)	463 004 (6,47%/61,27%)	69 282 (6,70%/9,17%)	223 443 (7,52%/29,57%)
30-34	623 480 (5,58%)	380 742 (5,32%/61,07%)	61 368 (5,93%/9,84%)	181 370 (6,10%/29,09%)
35-39	838 631 (7,51%)	520 668 (7,27%/62,09%)	82 640 (7,99%/9,85%)	235 323 (7,92%/28,06%)
40-44	1 015 022 (9,09%)	635 473 (8,87%/62,61%)	103 827 (10,04%/10,23%)	275 722 (9,27%/27,16%)
45-49	1 041 213 (9,32%)	662 297 (9,25%/63,61%)	111 934 (10,82%/10,75%)	266 982 (8,98%/25,64%)
50-54	774 499 (6,94%)	492 046 (6,87%/63,53%)	85 145 (8,23%/10,99%)	197 308 (6,64%/25,48%)
55-59	624 013 (5,59%)	401 361 (5,61%/64,32%)	68 511 (6,63%/10,98%)	154 141 (5,18%/24,70%)
60-64	564 635 (5,06%)	383 286 (5,35%/67,88%)	58 247 (5,63%/10,32%)	123 102 (4,14%/21,80%)
65-69	480 917 (4,31%)	335 144 (4,68%/69,69%)	46 826 (4,53%/9,74%)	98 947 (3,33%/20,57%)
70-74	380 897 (3,41%)	269 331 (3,76%/70,71%)	36 701 (3,55%/9,64%)	74 865 (2,52%/19,65%)
75-79	264 923 (2,37%)	188 653 (2,63%/71,21%)	25 867 (2,50%/9,76%)	50 403 (1,70%/19,03%)
80-84	179 670 (1,61%)	131 158 (1,83%/73,00%)	17 011 (1,65%/9,47%)	31 501 (1,06%/17,53%)
85+	170 350 (1,53%)	126 490 (1,77%/74,25%)	15 047 (1,46%/8,83%)	28 813 (0,97%/16,91%)

Age group	Cuba (percent of the population)	White (percent in the race/percent in the age group)	Black (percent in the race/percent in the age group)	Mulatto/Mestizo (percent in the race/percent in the age group)
0-14	1 922 562 (17,22%)	1 224 314 (17,10%/63,68%)	122 430 (11,84%/6,37%)	575 818 (19,37%/29,95%)
15-64	7 768 006 (69,56%)	4 885 309 (68,23%/62,89%)	770 162 (74,48%/9,91%)	2 112 535 (71,06%/27,20%)
65+	1 476 757 (13,22%)	1 050 776 (14,67%/71,15%)	141 452 (13,68%/9,58%)	284 529 (9,57%/19,27%)

Ancestral origins

Main article: Spanish immigration to Cuba

Official census 1775-1899[9]
White			Non-white
Census	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
1775	96,440	56.2	75,180	43.8
1792	153,559	56.4	118,741	43.6
1817	257,380	45.0	314,983	55.0
1827	311,051	44.2	393,435	55.8
1841	418,291	41.5	589,333	58.5
1861	793,484	56.8	603,046	43.2
1877	1,023,394	67.8	485,897	32.2
1887	1,102,889	67.6	528,798	32.4
1899	1,067,354	67.9	505,443	32.1

According to the previous censuses, the Chinese were counted as white.[10] The ancestry of Cubans comes from many sources:

• Spanish

During the 18th, 19th and early part of the 20th century, large waves of Spanish immigrants from Canary Islands, Catalonia, Andalusia, Galicia, and Asturias emigrated to Cuba. Between 1820 and 1898, a total of 508,455 people left Spain, and more than 750,000 Spanish immigrants left for Cuba between 1899 and 1930, with many returning to Spain.[11] There are 139,851 Spanish citizens living in Cuba on January 1, 2018.

• Canary Islanders
• Catalans
• Andalusians
• Galicians
• Asturians

The Slave trade brought Africans to Cuba during its early history: Between 1842 and 1873, 221,000 African slaves entered Cuba.[11]

• Africans

People of the Americas:

• Haitians
• Jamaicans

Other European people that have contributed include:

• Germans
• French
• Portuguese
• Italians
• Russians

People from Asia:

• Chinese
• Koreans
• Filipino

Between 1842 and 1873, 124,800 Chinese arrived.[11]

• Lebanese

There are also a small number of Jews living in Cuba.

Genetics

An autosomal study from 2014 has found out the genetic average ancestry in Cuba to be 72% European, 20% African and 8% Native American with different proportions depending on the self-reported ancestry (White, Mulatto or Mestizo, and Black):[12]

Self-reported ancestry	European	African	Native American
White	86%	6.7%	7.8%
Mulatto/Mestizo	63.8%	25.5%	10.7%
Black	29%	65.5%	5.5%

A 1995 study done on the population of Pinar del Rio, found that 50% of the Mt-DNA lineages (female lineages) could be traced back to Europeans, 46% to Africans and 4% to Native Americans. This figure is consistent with both the historical background of the region, and the current demographics of it.[13]

According to another study in 2008, the Native American contribution to present-day Cubans accounted for 33% of the maternal lineages, whereas Africa and Eurasia contributed 45% and 22% of the lineages, respectively. Haplogroup A2 is the main Native American haplogroup in Cuba (21.9% of the total sample), accounting for 67% of the Native American mtDNA gene pool. Regarding Y-chromosome haplogroups (male lineages), 78.8% of the sequences found in Cubans are of West Eurasian origin, 19.7% of African origin and 1.5% of East Asian origin. Among the West Eurasian fraction, the vast majority of individuals belong to West European haplogroup R1b. The African lineages found in Cubans have a Western (haplogroups E1, E2, E1b1a ) and Northern (E1b1b-M81 ) African origin. The "Berber" haplogroup E1b1b1b (E-M81), is found at a frequency of 6.1%.[14]

According to Fregel et al. (2009), the fact that autochthonous male North African E-M81 and female U6 lineages from the Canaries have been detected in Cuba and Iberoamerica, demonstrates that Canary Islanders with indigenous ancestors actively participated in the American colonization.[15]

Y-DNA

N[16]	E-M33	E-M75	E-M2	E1b1b-M35	E1b1b-M78	E1b1b-M81	E1b1b-M123	G	I	J2	T	R1a	R1b	N/O	O-P31
132	0.8%	1.5%	9.8%	1.5%	4.5%	6.1%	1.5%	6.1%	8.3%	6.1%	1.5%	1.5%	50.8%	0.8%	0.8%

mtDNA

N[16]	L	U6	A	B	C	D	H	I1	J*	J2a	J1b	J2	K	T*	T1a	T2	T	U*	U4	U4a2	U5a	V	W
245	43.3%	2%	22.4%	2%	5.3%	3.3%	9%	0.4%	2.4%	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%	0.8%	0.4%	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%	1.2%	0.8%	0.8%	0.4%

Other demographics statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.[17]

• One birth every 4 minutes
• One death every 6 minutes
• One net migrant every 26 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 85 minutes

Demographic statistics according to the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[18]

Population

11,209,628 (2018)

Ethnic groups

white 64.1%, mulatto or mixed 26.6%, black 9.3% (2012 est.)

note: data represent racial self-identification from Cuba's 2012 national census

Age structure

Population pyramid of Cuba in 2017

0-14 years: 16.44% (male 940,787 /female 886,996)

15-24 years: 12.1% (male 698,220 /female 646,684)

25-54 years: 43.69% (male 2,443,190 /female 2,414,119)

55-64 years: 12.54% (male 677,304 /female 716,704)

65 years and over: 15.22% (male 773,636 /female 918,756) (2018 est.)

Median age

total: 41.8 years. Country comparison to the world: 36th

male: 40.2 years

female: 43.1 years (2018 est.)

Birth rate

10.6 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 185th

Death rate

8.9 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 63rd

Total fertility rate

1.71 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 170th

Net migration rate

-4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 188th

Population growth rate

-0.27% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 215th

Contraceptive prevalence rate

73.7% (2014)

Religions

Christian 59.2%, folk 17.4%, other .4%, none 23% (2010 est.)

note: data is estimative because no authoritative source on religious affiliation in Cuba

Dependency ratioS

total dependency ratio: 43.3 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 23.3 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 19.9 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio: 5 (2015 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 77% of total population (2018)

rate of urbanization: 0.14% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.9 years. Country comparison to the world: 56th

male: 76.6 years

female: 81.4 years (2018 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

total population: 99.8%

male: 99.9%

female: 99.8% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 14 years (2016)

Unemployment, youth ages 15–24

total: 6.1%. Country comparison to the world: 150th

male: 6.4%

female: 5.6% (2010 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official)

Language

See also: Cuban Spanish

Spanish is the official language of Cuba. Of all the regional variations of Spanish, Cuban Spanish is most similar to, and originates largely from, the dialect spoken in the Canary Islands. This is a consequence of Canarian migration, which in the 19th and early 20th century was heavy and continuous. There were also migrations of Galicians and Asturians as well, but they did not impact Cuban Spanish to the same degree.

Much of the typical Cuban replacements for standard Spanish vocabulary stems from Canarian lexicon. For example, guagua (bus) differs from standard Spanish autobús the former originated in the Canaries and is an onomatopoeia stemming from the sound of a Klaxon horn (wah-wah!). An example of Canarian usage for a Spanish word is the verb fajarse[19] ("to fight"). In standard Spanish the verb would be pelearse, while fajar exists as a non-reflexive verb related to the hemming of a skirt.

The second most spoken language of Cuba is Haitian Creole, used mainly by Haitian immigrants and its descendants going back since the late 18th century, of whom fled the Haitian Revolution.

Other languages of Cuba are Cuban Sign Language, and English is commonly studied as a foreign language.

There are also reports of Lucumi, "Lengua Conga" (Kongo-based liturgical language of the Palo religion) and Bozal Spanish (an "African" socio-dialect of Spanish; now used only in folk religion).[20] Historically, the Ciboney and Classic dialects of Taino and the unattested Guanahatabey were spoken.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Cuba

Cuba has a multitude of faiths reflecting the island's diverse cultural elements. Catholicism, which was brought to the island by Spanish colonialists at the beginning of the 16th century, is the most prevalent professed faith. After the revolution, Cuba became an officially atheistic state and restricted religious practice. Since the Fourth Cuban Communist Party Congress in 1991, restrictions have been eased and, according to the National Catholic Observer, direct challenges by state institutions to the right to religion have all but disappeared,[21] though the church still faces restrictions of written and electronic communication, and can only accept donations from state-approved funding sources.[21] The Roman Catholic Church is made up of the Cuban Catholic Bishops' Conference (COCC), led by Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, Cardinal Archbishop of Havana. It has eleven dioceses, 56 orders of nuns and 24 orders of priests. In January 1998, Pope John Paul II paid a historic visit to the island, invited by the Cuban government and Catholic Church.

Afro-Cuban religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. This diversity derives from West and Central Africans who were transported to Cuba, and in effect reinvented their African religions. They did so by combining them with elements of the Catholic belief system, with a result very similar to Brazil. One of these Afro-Cuban religions is Santeria.

Protestantism, introduced from the United States in the 18th century, has seen a steady increase in popularity. 300,000 Cubans belong to the island's 54 Protestant denominations. Pentecostalism has grown rapidly in recent years, and the Assemblies of God alone claims a membership of over 100,000 people. The Episcopal Church of Cuba claims 10,000 adherents. Cuba has small communities of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and members of the Bahá'í Faith.

Demographic statistics from the CIA World Factbook

Demographic statistics from the CIA World Factbook[18]

Age structure	0-14 years: 15.96% (male 904,800/female 855,309) 15-24 years: 13.29% (male 752,160/female 714,384) 25-54 years: 47.16% (male 2,620,536/female 2,581,344) 55-64 years: 10.65% (male 562,207/female 612,438) 65 years and over: 12.95% (male 639,515/female 788,740) (2015 est.)
Median age:	Total: 40.4 years Male: 39.5 years Female: 41.3 years (2015 est.)
Sex ratio	At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
Life expectancy at birth	Total population: 78.39 years Male: 76.08 years Female: 80.84 years (2015 est.)
Ethnic groups	Whites: 64.1% Mestizo: 26.6% Blacks: 9.3%
Religions	nominally Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Santeria
Languages	Spanish (official)
Literacy	Total population:99.8% (2002 census) Male: 99.9% Female: 99.8% Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Illicit migration is a continuing problem. Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and overland via the southwest US/Mexican border, and islands adjacent to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

See also

• Cuban American
• Afro-Cuban
• Haitian Cuban
• Isleños
• Chinese Cuban
• Jewish Cuban
• Women in Cuba
• Provinces of Cuba

References

1. "Censos en Cuba" [Census in Cuba] (PDF) (in Spanish). National Office of Statistics of Cuba. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
2. "Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas. Cuba". One.cu. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
3. "PERSONS OBTAINING LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS BY REGION AND COUNTRY OF BIRTH: FISCAL YEARS 2003 TO 2012" (XLS). Dhs.gov. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
4. http://citypopulation.de/en/cuba/cities/
5. United nations. Demographic Yearbooks
6. Estadísticas, Oficina Nacional de (28 April 2006). "Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas. Cuba". One.cu. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
7. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-06-03. Retrieved 2017-08-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
8. "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". Unstats.un.org. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
9. "Report on the Census of Cuba, 1899 :: Census of Cuba 1899". Digital.tcl.sc.edu. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
10. "Report on the Census of Cuba, Census of Cuba 1899". Digital.tcl.sc.edu. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
11. La inmigración entre 1902 y 1930 Archived October 12, 2017, at Archive-It
12. Marcheco-Teruel et al. 2014, Cuba: Exploring the History of Admixture and the Genetic Basis of Pigmentation Using Autosomal and Uniparental Markers
13. Torroni, Antonio; Brown, Michael D.; Lott, Marie T.; Newman, Nancy J.; Wallace, Douglas C. (1995). "African, Native American, and European mitochondrial DNAs in Cubans from Pinar del Rio Province and implications for the recent epidemic neuropathy in Cuba". Human Mutation. 5 (4): 310–7. doi:10.1002/humu.1380050407. PMID 7627185.
14. Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies found in Cuba (132 individuals) grouped according to their phylogeographic origin Mendizabal, I; Sandoval, K; Berniell-Lee, G; et al. (2008). "Genetic origin, admixture, and asymmetry in maternal and paternal human lineages in Cuba". BMC Evol. Biol. 8: 213. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-8-213. PMC 2492877. PMID 18644108.
15. Fregel, Rosa; Gomes, Verónica; Gusmão, Leonor; González, Ana M; Cabrera, Vicente M; Amorim, António; Larruga, Jose M; et al. (2009). "Demographic history of Canary Islands male gene-pool: replacement of native lineages by European". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 9: 181. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-181. PMC 2728732. PMID 19650893.
16. Mendizabal et al (2008).Genetic origin, admixture, and asymmetry in maternal and paternal human lineages in Cuba
17. "Cuba Population 2019", World Population Review
18. "World Factbook CENTRAL AMERICA : CUBA", The World Factbook, July 12, 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
19. fajar at Diccionario de la Real Academia Española.
20. Wirtz, Kristina. 2014. Performing Afro-Cuba: Image, Voice, Spectacle in the Making of Race and History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-11905-2
21. Catholic church in Cuba strives to reestablish the faith National Catholic Observer

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2006 edition".

• Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-02-15.
• Matanzas Portal (2004). "Population gowth by municipality and province". Archived from the original on 2006-07-14. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
• The Peninsular (May 2007). Population, birth rate falling in Cuba: Official

External links

• Cuba statistics and related publications