Cuba

Births

95.9k

births per year, 2023

Total fertility rate

1.44

children per woman, 2023

Median age

41.7

years, 2023

World Bank, World Development Indicators

Internet users

70.5

% of population, 2024

Mobile cellular subscriptions

72.9

per 100 people, 2024

World Bank, World Development Indicators

Urban population

77.2

% of population, 2025

World Bank, World Development Indicators

What the data shows

Computed with the same code as the observations under the main chart and in the API (get_insights). Moving together in time does not prove a cause.

How the indicators changed

Fertility (TFR): 4.03 in 1950 → 1.44 in 2023 (−64%). Peak: 4.56 in 1963; the latest value is 68% lower. Thresholds: below 2.1 since 1978, below 1.5 since 2020. The trend broke around 1968 and 1979: +0.04 → −0.25 → −0.01 a year.
Births: 190k in 1950 → 95.9k in 2023 (−49%). Peak: 276k in 1965; the latest value is 65% lower. The trend broke around 1968 and 1978: +5.92k → −11.4k → −1.48k a year.
Population: 5.93M in 1950 → 11M in 2023 (+86%). The trend broke around 1975 and 2001: +147k → +68.6k → −5.49k a year.
Internet: 0% in 1990 → 70.5% in 2024 (+70 pp). Thresholds: above 10% since 2006, above 50% since 2017. Fastest growth in 2014–2019: 29.1% → 68%.
Urban share: 57.7% in 1960 → 77.2% in 2025 (+20 pp). Threshold: above 75% since 1997. The trend broke around 1969 and 1989: +0.23 → +0.72 → +0.1 a year.

What changed at the same time

The fastest decline of "Fertility (TFR)" was in 1969–1979: 4.12 → 1.77. Over the same years: births 269k → 142k; population 8.67M → 9.76M; urban share 59.9% → 67.7%; no data for the others in those years.
Over the last 10 years (2013–2023): fertility (TFR) 1.68 → 1.44; births 126k → 95.9k; population 11.3M → 11M; internet 27.9% → 69.6%; urban share 76.8% → 77.1%.

How the indicators relate

Fertility (TFR) and internet (1990–2023, 30 years): levels are barely related (r = −0.33); year-to-year changes show no reliable link (r = −0.06).
Fertility (TFR) and urban share (1960–2023, 64 years): levels are strongly related, in opposite directions (r = −0.94); year-to-year changes are related too (r = −0.55). Changes line up from year to year too, which is more than a shared trend.

Forecasts vs actual

Fertility (TFR): past UN projections. The outcome was below the projection in 7 of 11 revisions (1998–2022) and above in 4; median gap −3.4%.
Fertility (TFR): UN 2024 projection (medium): 2050 — 1.51 (+5% vs 2023), 2100 — 1.57 (+9% vs 2023); low variant for 2100: 1.07.
Births: past UN projections. The outcome was below the projection in 7 of 11 revisions (1998–2022) and above in 4; median gap −3%.
The UN 2000 projection did not expect today's level (95.9k, 2023) before its horizon ended (2047).
The UN 2019 projection expected today's level (95.9k, 2023) only around 2031: reality is 8 years ahead of it.
Births: UN 2024 projection (medium): 2050 — 67.4k (−30% vs 2023), 2100 — 38.4k (−60% vs 2023); low variant for 2100: 10.6k.
Population: past UN projections. The outcome was below the projection in 12 of 12 revisions (1998–2022) and above in none; median gap −2.6%.
Population: UN 2024 projection (medium): 2050 — 9.38M (−15% vs 2023), 2100 — 5.58M (−49% vs 2023); low variant for 2100: 3.52M.

UN projections vs actual

Solid line: actual data, UN WPP 2024 estimates to 2023, then national statistics where comparable with the UN. Dashed: medium variants of past UN revisions. The table shows what each revision expected for the latest year (or five-year period) with actual data.

Population

persons, 1 July

Actual
UN 1998
UN 2000
UN 2002
UN 2004
UN 2006
UN 2008
UN 2010
UN 2012
UN 2015
UN 2017
UN 2019
UN 2022
UN 2024, medium

Release	Target period	Horizon	Expected	Actual	Actual vs expected
UN 1998	2023	25 years	11.8M	11M	−6.5%
UN 2000	2023	23 years	11.7M	11M	−6.1%
UN 2002	2023	21 years	11.5M	11M	−4.3%
UN 2004	2023	19 years	11.4M	11M	−3.3%
UN 2006	2023	17 years	11.2M	11M	−2%
UN 2008	2023	15 years	11.2M	11M	−1.4%
UN 2010	2023	13 years	11.1M	11M	−1%
UN 2012	2023	11 years	11.1M	11M	−0.6%
UN 2015	2023	8 years	11.3M	11M	−2.8%
UN 2017	2023	6 years	11.5M	11M	−4.2%
UN 2019	2023	4 years	11.3M	11M	−2.4%
UN 2022	2023	1 year	11.2M	11M	−1.6%

Births

births per year

Actual
UN 1998
UN 2000
UN 2002
UN 2004
UN 2006
UN 2008
UN 2010
UN 2012
UN 2015
UN 2017
UN 2019
UN 2022
UN 2024, medium

Release	Target period	Horizon	Expected	Actual	Actual vs expected
UN 1998	2015–2020	20 years	128k	113k	−11.4%
UN 2000	2015–2020	18 years	127k	113k	−11.2%
UN 2002	2015–2020	16 years	124k	113k	−8.9%
UN 2004	2015–2020	14 years	119k	113k	−4.6%
UN 2006	2015–2020	12 years	114k	113k	−0.8%
UN 2008	2015–2020	10 years	111k	113k	+2.2%
UN 2010	2015–2020	8 years	102k	113k	+11.5%
UN 2012	2015–2020	6 years	103k	113k	+10.2%
UN 2015	2015–2020	2 years	110k	113k	+2.5%
UN 2017	2015–2020	0 years	122k	113k	−7.5%
UN 2022	2023	1 year	98.9k	95.9k	−3%

Total fertility rate

children per woman

Actual
UN 1998
UN 2000
UN 2002
UN 2004
UN 2006
UN 2008
UN 2010
UN 2012
UN 2015
UN 2017
UN 2019
UN 2022
UN 2024, medium

Release	Target period	Horizon	Expected	Actual	Actual vs expected
UN 1998	2015–2020	20 years	1.76	1.58	−10%
UN 2000	2015–2020	18 years	1.76	1.58	−10%
UN 2002	2015–2020	16 years	1.76	1.58	−10%
UN 2004	2015–2020	14 years	1.67	1.58	−5.2%
UN 2006	2015–2020	12 years	1.64	1.58	−3.4%
UN 2008	2015–2020	10 years	1.57	1.58	+0.8%
UN 2010	2015–2020	8 years	1.44	1.58	+10.3%
UN 2012	2015–2020	6 years	1.45	1.58	+9%
UN 2015	2015–2020	2 years	1.58	1.58	+0.1%
UN 2017	2015–2020	0 years	1.72	1.58	−7.7%
UN 2022	2023	1 year	1.46	1.44	−1.2%

All indicators

Demography

Population

11M persons, 1 July latest value, 2023

Population on 1 July. UN estimate to 2023, medium variant from 2024; past UN revisions for forecast checks.

Births

95.9k births per year latest value, 2023

Live births per calendar year. UN WPP 2024 and national statistics (64 countries, 2015-2025).

Total fertility rate

1.44 children per woman latest value, 2023

Average number of children a woman would have at the age-specific fertility rates of the year.

Life expectancy at birth, women

80.5 years latest value, 2023

Years a newborn girl would live at the mortality rates of the year (UN).

Life expectancy at birth, men

75.7 years latest value, 2023

Years a newborn boy would live at the mortality rates of the year (UN).

Median age

41.7 years latest value, 2023

Age that divides the population in two halves (UN).

Mean age of mothers at childbirth

26.2 years latest value, 2023

Mean age of mothers at the birth of their children of any order (UN).

Sex ratio at birth

107.1 boys per 100 girls latest value, 2023

Boys born per 100 girls born (UN).

Net migration

−22.8k persons per year latest value, 2023

Immigrants minus emigrants per year (UN estimate and projection).

Old-age dependency

25 persons 65+ per 100 aged 20-64 latest value, 2020

Persons aged 65+ per 100 aged 20-64, every five years (UN).

Digitalisation

Internet users

70.5 % of population latest value, 2024

Share of individuals who used the Internet in the last three months from any device. ITU data.

Mobile cellular subscriptions

72.9 per 100 people latest value, 2024

Active mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people; can exceed 100 when people have several SIM cards. ITU data.

Fixed broadband subscriptions

3.1 subscriptions per 100 people latest value, 2024

Fixed subscriptions to high-speed Internet (256 kbit/s or more) per 100 people. ITU data.

Society

Urban population

77.2 % of population latest value, 2025

Share of people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices (World Bank, from UN World Urbanization Prospects).

Tertiary enrolment, women

57.6 % gross latest value, 2024

Women enrolled in tertiary education as a share of women in the five-year age group after secondary school; can exceed 100 (UNESCO).

Women with upper secondary education

55.8 % of women 25+ latest value, 2019

Share of women aged 25+ who completed at least upper secondary education (UNESCO).

Life expectancy at birth

78.3 years latest value, 2024

Life expectancy at birth, both sexes (World Bank, from UN and national statistics).