The Government of Cuba postponed the holding of the population census until 2025, alleging that the economic situation currently does not allow the task to be carried out.
This population census in Cuba It was scheduled to take place two years ago, but the lack of resources is serious on the island.
The vice head of the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), Juan Carlos Alfonsoacknowledged before the international press the negative impact of the economic situation in his department, but assured that the Cuban State has “very strong records.”
The official also confirmed the deterioration of well-being indicators on the island, positioning it at an intermediate level in Latin America.
Furthermore, he justified that the ONEI produces statistics that are not published, such as migration estimates and inequality indicators, for political reasons.
Cuba has not carried out a population census for twelve years and it would be very useful to know the current data in the country, especially after the recent migration crisis, since it is estimated that more than half a million Cubans have left the island, and are mostly young people, of working age.
“Obviously all of this has a cost, there is not the slightest doubt, a cost in the country’s reproductive capacity, a cost in the country’s productive capacity,” the leader acknowledged.
“We are working to pre-register the census this year 2024 and evaluate the real possibility of carrying it out in 2025, depending on the country’s availability,” stated Alfonso.
The delay of this macro survey affects the availability of data necessary for the preparation of public policies and other government accounts. However, the official took the opportunity to blame the United States economic embargo for the delay.
He added to the list of problems in carrying out the census, the effects of the pandemic in the country, the sanctions under the mandate of Donald Trump and the distortions of the Cuban economy since 2020.
In his opinion, all these factors have generated shortages, inflation, frequent blackouts and an unprecedented wave of migration.
Juan Carlos Alfonso recognized the increase in vulnerability and inequality in the population, as well as the deterioration of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), designed by the UN.
He also indicated that inequality measured with the Gini Coefficient has increased, suggesting that it is currently between 0.4 and 0.5, an intermediate figure compared to other Latin American countries.
