Cuba Population
Cuba had an estimated population of 10,937,203 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 87th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.13% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.39% a year.
Cuba at a glance
How Cuba's population is changing
Cuba's population is shrinking: −0.39% a year, which works out to about −42,497 people per year, or −116 a day. Births (8.6 per 1,000) and deaths (10.4 per 1,000) alone would give −0.18% a year; net migration removes about 22,244 people a year (−0.20%). Roughly one in every 751 people on Earth lives in Cuba.
Population of Cuba since 1960
In 1960, Cuba had 7,238,081 people. By 2025 that was 10,937,203 — 1.5× larger. The population peaked in 2012 at 11,303,175 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 22%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7,238,081 | — |
| 1970 | 8,824,382 | +21.9% |
| 1980 | 9,804,796 | +11.1% |
| 1990 | 10,631,799 | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 11,109,109 | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 11,297,409 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 11,176,354 | −1.1% |
| 2025 | 10,937,203 | −2.1% |
Cuba from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Cuba at about 272,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 10,937,203 in 2025 (40× 1800) and projects 5,577,282 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2012 at 11,303,172 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 272,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 1,186,396 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 1,719,649 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 5,924,519 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 11,109,112 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 10,937,203 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 9,381,995 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 7,288,322 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 5,577,282 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Cuba
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 10,937,203. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Havana | 1,593,580 | UN urban centre | 14.57% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Santiago de Cuba | 429,537 | UN urban centre | 3.93% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Holguín | 312,173 | UN urban centre | 2.85% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Camagüey | 278,716 | UN urban centre | 2.55% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Santa Clara | 213,948 | UN urban centre | 1.96% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Arroyo Naranjo | 210,053 | GeoNames settlement | 1.92% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Bayamo | 201,207 | UN urban centre | 1.84% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Guantánamo | 198,411 | UN urban centre | 1.81% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Las Tunas | 187,705 | UN urban centre | 1.72% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Fontanar | 178,601 | GeoNames settlement | 1.63% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Cuba compares
Cuba has almost the same population as Czechia (10,886,878).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Cuba | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #85 |  United Arab Emirates | 11,513,149 | +5% | compare → |
| #86 |  Honduras | 11,005,850 | +1% | compare → |
| #88 |  Czechia | 10,886,878 | −0% | compare → |
| #89 |  Portugal | 10,804,871 | −1% | compare → |
Compare Cuba with any country →
Same region (Latin America & Caribbean): Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela.
Explore around Cuba
Nearest countries
Cuba has no land border. Closest by distance:
Cayman Islands 75,844 · 144.2× smaller · compare
Bahamas 403,033 · 27.1× smaller · compare
Jamaica 2,837,077 · 3.9× smaller · compare
Belize 422,924 · 25.9× smaller · compare
In its region
Cuba is the 14th most populous of the 42 economies in Latin America & Caribbean, holding 1.6% of the region's 666,592,570 people.
Rankings featuring Cuba
Cities
Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Camagüey, Santa Clara, Arroyo Naranjo, Bayamo, Guantánamo — all Cuba's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Cuba when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.