In early September, a report by the International Organization for Migration (OIM) revealed that over 140 Cubans have died while trying to reach Florida in rafts in 2024, an 18% increase compared to 2023 and with several months left in the year. The stark number is a reflection of the ongoing crisis in the island, which has been on the news recently for everything from water shortages to food scarcity.
Amid the crisis, over 850,000 people have fled Cuba for the United States over the past three years, a number that has contributed to the island's steep population decline, which was estimated at 18% by economist and demographers Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos in a recent interview with El País. The interview, however, only took into account data until 2023, so the decline in population could be even higher today.
