Cuba counts
• Summary of final 2012 Population and Housing Census figures published on National Statistics Office website

Leticia Martínez Hernández

HOW many of us are there? Where and how do we live? How do we relate to each other, work and study? These are some of the questions the Population and Housing Census, conducted in October 2012, sought to answer, questions about Cuba’s particular profile which had not been investigated at this level since 2002, undertaken at a time when the country is immersed in the updating of its economic model and can use reliable data uncovered by the Census to support implementation of Policy Guidelines approved at the 6th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba.

In an interview with Granma, Juan Carlos Alfonso Fraga, national director of the 2012 Census study, reported that an advance summary of final figures in several key categories was published on the National Statistics and Information Office website (www.onei.cu), November 8.

"It includes statistical tables, in large part going down to the municipal level, accompanied by comments and graphs which complement the information and will be part of the Final Report, or Census Memories, to be published later."

The data being shared now, he said, shows the progress the country has made over the last 10 years, both in terms of its population’s characteristics and housing.

"There is evidence of progress, although many problems are not yet resolved," he said, adding that data from the Census, the most important statistical investigation conducted in the country, cannot be simply filed away, especially given the cost of the effort. The information must serve as a fundamental tool in decision-making, he asserted, saying that the statistics are useful in innumerable ways. "The Census verifies or corrects figures, in addition to revealing other things which are completely unprecedented."

Thus, we learned that Cuba has 11,167,325 inhabitants; La Habana is the most populous province with 2,106,646 inhabitants and Mayabeque is the least, with

376,825. Other provinces with populations of over a million include Santiago de Cuba and Holguín, with 1,049,084 and 1,035,072, respectively.

Among municipalities, Santiago de Cuba is the largest with 506,037,000 inhabitants, while Ciénaga de Zapata has the fewest with 9,163.

Alfonso reported that the Census verified annual demographic estimates which indicated a reduction in the national population. In fact, some 10,418 fewer Cubans were counted in 2012, as compared to 2002. In 97 municipalities – 58.1% of the total – a population decline was confirmed.

The female population now exceeds the male by 25,675, making for a relationship of 995 males for every 1,000 females. This pattern is predominate in the provinces of La Habana, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo, while in Pinar del Río and Mayabeque, there are 1035 and 1031 males for every female, respectively.

As for aging of the population, the Census confirmed that 18.3% of Cubans are 60 years of age or older, a total of 2,041,392 individuals. The percentage between 0 and 14 years of age is 17.2%, for a total of 1,922,562 children. The provinces of Villa Clara, La Habana and Sancti Spíritus have the highest percentages of elderly citizens.

The average age of the population nationally increased, reaching 38.8 years, highlighting this aging process. In 2002, the average age was 35.1.

A tendency toward demographic change in terms of skin color, noted in previous censuses, was also confirmed with a reduction in the number of Cubans identifying themselves as white or black. In 2002, the figures recorded were 65% and 10.1%, respectively, while in 2012, the white population decreased to 64.1% and the black to 9.3%. On the other hand, the percentage of those who identified themselves as mixed-race increased from 24.9% to 26.6%, confirming the previously observed trend.

According to Alfonso, all those over the age of 12 were asked questions about their civil status and results indicate that 56.8% of Cubans report having a conjugal relationship; 21.7% are married. Those who identified themselves as widowed represent 4.8%, with the highest percentages in La Habana, Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus, understandable given that these are the most elderly provinces.

According to the published Census 2012 summary, Cubans live in 3,885,900 residential units, indicating an average of 2.87 persons per dwelling, lower than the 3.16 figure noted in 2012, when the total number of residential units was

3,534,327.

The decline in this average, the Census director emphasized, reflects both the greater number of dwellings and the lower population. The increase in housing available was mostly seen in the growth of private homes, reaching 3,882,424 in 2012, as compared to 3,527,994 in 2002. Workplace lodging declined over the last 10 years.

The 2012 Census found that 55.1% of households visited were headed by men and 44.9% by women. In 2002, the percentage of households led by women was 40.6%.

93.2% of all residential units are houses or apartments. The remaining 6.8% are rooms in bunkhouses, shacks or improvised dwellings, reflecting a decline from 9.3% in 2002.

New questions about housing characteristics were asked in the 2012 Census and revealed that 95.6% of private houses and apartments are owned by the residents.

Additionally, 96.8% of all homes were found to have kitchens. Some 80% of dwellings visited had a bath or shower with running water and a dedicated drain. This latter figure varies significantly by province, with the isle of Youth reporting 97.7% and La Habana 95.5%, while in Las Tunas and Granma, only 50% of homes have such bathroom facilities.

Electricity is the most common source of energy used for cooking, utilized in 70.5% of all homes, a significant change from the 7.3% recorded in 2002. Gas, piped in or bottled, is used in 17.2% of homes.

Indoor running water is available in 59.8% of all homes and 74.4% receive their water from the national system of aqueducts.

Dwellings relying on urban sewer systems represent 41.4% of the total, while 38.3% have septic tanks or pits for their waste water.

For the first time in 2012, questions were asked about garbage disposal. Responses indicated that 50.4% of households have their garbage collected, while 20% place theirs in containers for collection and 10% take their solid waste to a designated dump.

The Census additionally revealed that 97.8% of homes use electricity provided by the national electric company for lighting and other domestic purposes, an increase over the 95.5% reported in 2002. The use of solar panels and mini-hydroelectric plants is not yet statistically significant in the country.

Also investigated was the possession and condition of electric household appliances. Most commonly reported were fans, rice and multi-purpose cookers, refrigerators, stoves and color televisions. More than 96% of these appliances were in working order at the time of the Census, with the exception of rice and multi-purpose cookers, of which only 88.9% were functioning.