Demography and the place of women in Cuban society
Cuban demographic growth was slightly down in 2024, at -0.17%. This is explained on the one hand by the aging of the population, the passage of covid-19 into the Cuban ranks; on the other hand by the decline in fertility (fertility rate in 2024: 1.71), which does not allow for the renewal of generations. In 2022, the birth rate was 9.9 ‰ when the death rate was 9.5 ‰. This demographic dynamic is close to the trends seen in developed countries. In fact, Cuba boasts an infant mortality rate (4 ‰) lower than that of the United States (5.1 ‰). In a very recent reversal of trend, life expectancy is longer in the United States than in Cuba: a Cuban lives an average of 80.1 years versus 80.9 years in the United States. The average age of the Cuban population is 42.6 (2024).
While Cuba's ethnic make-up is fairly varied - 51% mestizo, 37% white, 11% black, 1% Asian - the country's literacy rate is exemplary: 100%! What could be better? The regime's continuous efforts in education since the 1960s have paid off, making Cuba a global model for the education system. In 2023/2024, the UN's annual Human Development Index ranked Cuba 85th out of 193 countries, with an HDI of 0.764. It is also worth noting the importance of women in Cuban society.
Even though there is no law governing parity between men and women in political representation, thanks to the revolution, Cuba has managed to climb onto the world podium: in 2013, the island had the third-highest percentage of women deputies. Since 2018, they have even been in the majority: the female share of the Cuban parliament is 53.22%, making Cuba the second country in the world, after Rwanda, in terms of female political participation. Women also account for 40% of the working population, nearly 70% of science graduates, 33% of science and technology graduates and 63% of teaching graduates. Although Cuban women are united within the Federación de Mujeres Cubanas, FMC ( Federation of Cuban Women), machismo continues to have a strong hold on Cuban society. Also, despite a highly mixed population and a legislative framework ensuring equality for all, racism is still prevalent. A black man in a relationship with a white woman, or vice versa, tends to be badly perceived in Cuban society.
Migration history of Cuba
At the time of the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the conquistadores, Cuba's indigenous population was estimated at some 100,000 individuals. They were divided into three groups: the Siboney, the Taïnos and the Caribs. Rapidly exploited and forced into hard labor by the Spanish, these populations were quickly decimated. Massacres of those who didn't want to submit, mistreatment and diseases imported by men from the Old World took their toll on the natives. By the end of the 16th century, Cuba's original inhabitants had all but disappeared from the island's surface.
To compensate for this labor shortage, the colonists resorted to slavery, actively engaging in the triangular trade. From the 17th century onwards, large numbers of Africans, mainly from the west coast of Africa, came to populate the cultivated fields of the Cuban countryside. As for the white population, these were mainly Spaniards from the poorer regions of the country, namely Galicia, Extremadura, Andalusia, Asturias and the Canary Islands.
Finally, Cuba's Asian population is explained by the massive influx of Chinese in the 19th century, following the abolition of slavery. The island needed workers, especially for the construction of the railroad. It was in Havana's Chinatown (more symbolic than actually populated by Chinese today) that this newly-arrived population was concentrated.
Since Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959, almost 2 million Cubans have emigrated, mainly to the United States. The first wave took place at the very moment of the revolution, and is estimated at over 100,000 people. This was followed by the so-called Mariel exodus. In the midst of the Cold War, between April and October 1980, Castro's regime expelled around 125,000 Cubans designated as counter-revolutionaries from the port of Mariel (40 km from Havana) to the Florida coast. The third and largest wave of migration is currently underway. It is estimated that over 1.7 million Cubans will have left the island between late 2022 and early 2024...
Cuban languages
In Cuba, Spanish is the official language. Unlike other islands in the Caribbean region, where dialects are usually quite numerous, in Cuba 90% of the population speaks only Spanish - mixed with African or Amerindian contributions, as in the rest of Latin America - giving the country a beautiful linguistic homogeneity. However, even if you've mastered the language of Cervantes to perfection, Cubans will give you a hard time, at least for the first few days. They tend to speak at breakneck speed, eating up a lot of syllables and almost systematically forgetting to pronounce the "s". Don't panic, though: your Spanish will acclimatize very quickly, and you'll find yourself chewing on words too. In addition to its distinctive accent, Cuban Spanish has developed into a very local slang. From Havana to Santiago, you'll hear Que bola? (What's up? How are you doing?), often accompanied by the word Acere or Asere, a typically Cuban way of saying "my buddy". The word guajiro ( feminineguajira ) refers to peasants and other workers on the land, while Yuma is used to refer to foreigners, in a sort of Cuban version of the Mexican gringo , except that it doesn't just refer to North Americans, but to all foreigners. As for the rest, if you're a Spanish speaker, let yourself be surprised by the delicious expressions that cross your path.
As for the other languages spoken on the island, Chinese tops the list, as there is a large Chinese diaspora, particularly in Havana. More rarely, Portuguese and some Creole languages from neighboring islands can be heard here and there. Another Cuban speciality is the existence of a "secret language". This is Lucumi, a language of Niger-Congolese origin colloquially known as Yoruba in Cuba. It is used for very specific purposes, within the framework of sacred rites linked to Santería, a religious syncretism born in Cuba, close to Brazilian Candomblé and Haitian voodoo. Santería is much more a ritual language than an everyday one, like Latin in the Catholic religion.
