Abstract
The crisis affecting Cuba is multidimensional: rampant inflation, shortages of all kinds, private sector weakness, government mistrust and the collapse of public services. It has fueled increased emigration since 2021, while immigration is at zero and the birth rate has plummeted. The result has been a sharp decline in population since the 2012 census (around 30%), increased population aging (25% are over 60, median age above 42, the same as in Japan), a reduction in the economically active population, and a crisis in the care and support of the elderly (Destremau 2023). However, although they are addressing the issue through parametric measures, the public authorities do not seem to alter the policies that have led to this collapse. Rather than a transition, it seems to be a kind of generalized breakdown with no prospects for recovery or adjustment. Today, without significant family support, the elderly are also the most disadvantaged in all respects: income, housing, care, wellbeing, health and recognition. I have been researching in Cuba since 2010. Based on documentary and fieldwork, I first describe and analyze these various components of the Cuba “aging crisis” from demographic, economic, and social perspectives, comparing them with the situation in other countries that emerged from socialism. I then discuss the effects of this crisis on the lives of left-behind elderly and how increasingly transnational families are trying to organize themselves to cope with it. Can there be any prospects for innovative policies, or is this a case of “demographic suicide”?
Presenters
Blandine DestremauResearch Director, Iris / EHESS, CNRS, ICM & PPR AUTONOMIE (INNOVCARE), France
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
DEMOGRAPHIC COLLAPSE, AGING, EMIGRATION, CARE CRISIS, PUBLIC POLICY
