Cuba Population

Cuba has the oldest population in Latin America, the result of low fertility sustained for decades alongside heavy emigration, much of it to the United States. The combination has tipped the island into population decline and rapid ageing. It faces the demographic challenges of a rich country without the income to match.

With roughly 10.9 million people as of 2026, Cuba ranks 88th in the world by population. In Caribbean, where it lies, that future is driven by fertility, longevity and the movement of people across its borders. Population density stands at about 102 people for every square kilometre of land.

Cuba's population has already passed its peak of about 11.3 million, reached around 2012. It now sits roughly 3% below that high point, and the UN projects about 9.4 million by 2050 and 5.6 million by 2100.

Half of Cuba is currently younger than about 42, but by 2100 the median age is projected to reach around 55, even as life expectancy improves from about 78 years. That ageing slowly changes everything from the size of the workforce to the cost of care and pensions.

Fertility sits at about 1.45 births per woman, below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, so without migration the population would eventually shrink. Emigration adds a further drag, as departures outnumber arrivals year to year.

Read these numbers as the midpoint of a range. Under the UN's high and low fertility paths Cuba's 2100 population could land well above or below the figures here; the medium variant is simply the central case.