Cuba faces a demographic crisis marked by an accelerated aging of the population and the difficulty of these people to sustain themselves in an economy that does not work in the country.
According to the latest data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), 24.4% of Cubans are over 60 years old, which places the country among the oldest in the region.
This phenomenon poses serious challenges for the country, which must face the specific needs of a rapidly aging population that the communist regime keeps abandoned, without offering solutions to its problems.
The provinces most affected by this phenomenon are Villa Clara, Havana and Sancti Spíritus, where the highest aging rates are concentrated.
Experts from the Center for Demographic Studies of the University of Havana (CEDEM) affirm that this trend is irreversible unless there is a significant increase in the birth rate, something that does not seem likely in the short term, because women do not have stable economic conditions to have children.
The president of the Chair of the Elderly at the University of Havana, Teresa Orosa Fraíz, pointed out that aging should be seen as an achievement, but also as a challenge that requires a change of approach.
“We must rethink the way we think and act towards older people. They continue to be productive and active, and aging with dignity is a right that we must guarantee,” says Orosa.
The aging population in Cuba not only implies an increase in the proportion of older people, but also a series of social and economic changes that mainly affect families, because the health system on the island is deficient and is not prepared for this. Not to mention that the amount that older adults receive in pensions is not enough at all.
According to Juan Carlos Alonso Fraga, vice head of the ONEI, the low birth rate and the increase in life expectancy in the country have contributed to this process, and it is expected that by 2030 about 30% of the Cuban population will be older. 60 years old.
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