Last year, experts recorded the lowest birth rate in the last ten years on Liberty Island. According to a study published by the National Bureau of Statistics of Cuba, there are on average 1.7 children per woman. For a month (between December 2016 and January 2017), a survey was conducted on the territory of the Isle of Youth and fourteen other Cuban provinces among women and men aged 15 to 54 who permanently reside in these regions. According to its results, the Cuban society, from a demographic point of view, is currently in a stage of so-called “stable or zero” growth, characterized by a downward trend in the short term population.
The results of the study showed that at the end of last year 2009, 11,242 thousand people lived on the territory of the Island of Freedom. This is 6,500 more than in the previous 2008. So, we can say that for the first time in the last three years, population growth was recorded in Cuba. However, this does not inspire optimism, since the most important demographic challenge for Cuban society is the problem of population aging. The lowest birth rate on Liberty Island was recorded last year in the Cuban capital. There, there are 35.5 children per 1,000 women aged 15-49 (or 1.5 children per woman). As for other regions, this figure exceeds the level of 42 children, reaching 48.7 in the eastern regions. Curiously, however, among young women aged 15 to 19, the birth rate in Havana also lags behind the rest of the regions. The reasons for such a critical demographic situation are quite obvious. And first of all, experts note the difficulties in obtaining housing and low wages.
