News · Migration
ONEI puts Cuba's net migration at -25.6 per thousand inhabitants at the end of 2025
The state statistics office recorded net migration of -25.6 people per 1,000 inhabitants at the end of 2025, the ninth consecutive year in which emigration is the main factor in the fall of the population, as Diario de Cuba and Cubanet reported on Saturday.
The National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) closed 2025 with negative net migration of -25.6 people per 1,000 inhabitants. The report itself notes that «net migration, low birth rates and population aging are among the main factors affecting Cuban demographic dynamics», in a passage translated by Yamacoa.
Havana is the territory with the greatest impact, at -33.6 people per 1,000 inhabitants. It is followed by Matanzas (-28.8) and Cienfuegos (-28.0). The lowest values are those of Holguín (-19.8) and Las Tunas (-20.5). The exodus, low birth rates and aging are speeding up the country's depopulation, with the capital as the worst-affected province, Cubanet agrees.
The capital is also the second most aged area of the country, with 29.1% of its inhabitants aged 60 or over, and Plaza de la Revolución is Cuba's most aged municipality, at 38.2%, according to ONEI figures carried by Diario de Cuba.
In July, ONEI had reported that Cuba lost 245,264 inhabitants in 2025 because of migration. With that result, the count reaches nine straight years in which that factor is the main cause of the fall in population, according to the same outlet.
The government calculates that more than three million Cubans live abroad, of whom roughly half retain residence in the country, while 1.1 million have no effective residence on the island. Independent demographer Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos calculates a total population of around 8.6 million inhabitants, below the official figure of 9.4 million.
Sources: Diario de Cuba · Cubanet · Serie Yamacoa: Población efectiva de Cuba (ONEI)
Data updated: 2026-10-23T16:15:00.000Z