According to numbers compiled by Cuban economist and demographer Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos, the island’s population fell by 18% between 2022 and 2023

The streets in Cuba look empty. Dozens of residents in every neighborhood have shut the door to their homes for the last time. Long lines in the Havana airport to board a flight to Nicaragua grow by the day. Some time ago, there was talk of a stampede, a collective fever to escape, to avoid being the last witness of a country’s collapse. Nearly three years ago, it was said that Cuba was seeing the biggest migratory wave in its history, and though authorities have not released official data regarding the current population, a new study reveals the real toll of the island’s dramatic exodus.

“I have never seen so many people emigrating as I am right now,” says 43-year-old Havana resident Valia Rodríguez. “Of course, any Cuban would love to go. I would, for example. If I had the means, I would go, because in this country, with this government, one can’t live. And I’ll tell you something else, if I hadn’t recently given birth, I would have left, because the situation is unsustainable.”