Cuba's population falls for first time in 25 years
Cuba's population fell by 4,300 in 2006 to just over 11.2 million, the first drop in 25 years, the population and development center at the National Statistics Office said Wednesday.

The main cause of the population decrease is a falling fertility rate, which fell below the equilibrium level, said Juan Carlos Alfonso, director of the office.

The country's fertility rate has fallen to less than one live birth per woman of reproductive age, and an average Cuban family now has only three people.

There were only 111,084 births in 2006, down from 120,716 in 2005, and the nation is experiencing a notable acceleration in population aging, Alfonso said.

Some 16.2 percent of Cubans are over 60 years old, but the figure is expected to grow to 25 percent by 2025.

According to the center, the improvement of women's social status and limited family finances have contributed to the fertility rate fall.

Two other factors which may also affect the fertility rate are a government policy to provide free contraceptives and a rising life expectancy, it said.

Cubans' average life expectancy of 77 years old is something rarely seen outside industrialized nations.