Internal migration: More than 65 thousand Cubans moved from the countryside to the city
HAVANA, March 21st. Internal migration is another of the many problems that Cuba currently faces. Although the issue is not comparable to the mass exodus abroad, it is an issue that worries state authorities, mainly due to the abandonment of rural areas.
The increase in internal migration was among the topics addressed during a recent meeting of the Government Commission to address demographic dynamics, according to the media Cubasí.
Added to this issue were others such as the contraction in the number of births, the low global fertility rate, the increase in aging and the natural decrease of the population, among others.
During the meeting, the vice head of the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), Juan Carlos Alfonso Fraga, commented that these demographic movements must be taken into account “due to the implications and effects on a series of trends of lower capacities.”
Food combos for Cuba, toiletries, medicines and more
Furthermore, he pointed out that Cuba is the only country in Latin America that has a statistical system to measure internal migrations, which expresses, “the importance that is given here to the statistical issue.”
Among the data offered in the report, those from the Cuba Statistical Yearbook 2022 stand out, published in 2023 and which indicates that a total of 65,978 Cubans had moved within the country on that date.
Regarding the provinces that received the most internal migrants that year, Havana, Artemisa and Matanzas stand out. These territories, according to specialists, are the most striking due to the living and working conditions.
Other reasons mentioned that give rise to internal migration are related to the issue of marketing of products, problems with transportation, with fuel for cooking food, among others.
Likewise, the fact that gender relations are more asymmetrical in rural areas stands out, which means that migration to urban areas is predominantly female.
Access to health and education services are two of the factors that determine women to emigrate to try to bring their children to schools and hospitals, institutions that are generally far from rural areas.
According to the Cuban authorities, one of the objectives to be achieved is to reduce internal migratory flows and mitigate the depopulation of rural environments, for which various state initiatives and educational programs are being developed in the areas furthest from large cities.
This matter has been discussed for several years by the island’s government. Now, in times of intense economic and social crisis, the outward migratory flow does not seem to be the only issue that worries leaders.
Thousands of Cubans continue to move to the western provinces in search of a better quality of life, although the situation in the country does not seem to improve, even in some areas considered by many as “privileged.”
