Cuban census shows population decline

From Bernama.com

HAVANA – Cuba’s population declined by about 84,000 in less than a year according to the latest census data, confirming the warning that emigration and lower birth rate are cutting the size of the island’s population.

The National Population and Housing Census released Monday shows Cuba has 11,163,934 inhabitants, compared with 11,247,925 reported last year, Vice President of the Council of Ministers Marino Murillo was quoted by the official daily Gramna as saying.

The National Statistics Bureau in July warned of population decline due to falling birth rates and the fact that some 38,000 Cubans emigrate each year.

But the good news is that the population is almost evenly split along the sex line, with women making up 50.09 percent and men 49.91 percent, which “confirms the gender balance of the Cuban population,” said Murillo.

Among the demographic data were figures on age, with those between 16 and 59 representing 63.3 percent of the total, those aged 60 or more 18.3 percent, indicating the aging of Cuba’s population; and those under 15, 18.4 percent.

Officials are still tabulating the results of the census, “reviewing, coding and validating” the numbers, said Murillo, adding that the final report won’t be out until June 2013.