HAVANA – Cuba, which ended 2008 with 11.24 million people, will see its population drop by 100,000 by 2025 and go below 11 million in 2032, state media reported Monday, citing a new study.

The island’s population is decreasing, according to a report prepared by the National Statistics Office and the Latin American and Caribbean Demography Center, because of aging and a drop in the fertility rate.

By 2025, the number of Cubans over the age of 60 will be 2.9 million, or 1 million more than today, making Cuba the oldest country in Latin America.

The aging of Cuba’s population will affect economic productivity and increase the cost of providing health and social services, the report said.

State media did not provide any figures, however, on the effects of emigration on population trends. EFE