A new report from the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) shows shifting migration patterns among Cubans across Latin America, with more people not only moving through the region but also choosing to remain there.
"These trends show that Latin America is no longer just a corridor for Cuban migrants, but is increasingly becoming their intended home," said María Moita, IOM Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. "Behind these numbers are people making difficult decisions about where they can rebuild their lives. Data collected on the ground every day helps governments respond with practical, evidence-based migration policies that reflect these realities."
The findings, covering the period from January 2025 to February 2026, draw on three complementary sources: IOM's DTM, which conducts systematic field surveys of migrants at key transit and destination points across the region; irregular migration statistics compiled by the governments of Honduras and Guatemala; and official regular migration figures from Brazil and Uruguay.
The DTM survey, conducted among Cubans in Costa Rica during January and February 2026, found that 94 per cent intended to stay in the country, citing better economic conditions, political stability, and access to international protection. IOM data also suggests that demand for immigration regularization and asylum procedures is likely to remain high.
At the same time, northbound movements through parts of Central America are declining sharply. In Honduras, Cuban irregular entries from Nicaragua fell by around 75 per cent, from 64,000 in 2024 to 17,000 in 2025. In the first two months of 2026, only 1,500 arrivals were recorded - less than a quarter of the figure reported during the same period in 2025. In Guatemala, all Cubans surveyed identified economic reasons as the main driver for leaving their country.
South America is also emerging as an increasingly important destination for Cubans. In Brazil, net regular Cuban migration nearly tripled between 2024 and 2025, rising from roughly 2,100 to 6,400 people, with no single month in 2025 recording a negative balance. Cubans typically enter through Venezuela or Guyana, where no visa is required, before crossing into Brazil's northern state of Roraima.
A similar trend is visible in Uruguay, where the average monthly net migration balance more than doubled, from around 500 Cubans in 2024 to over 1,200 in 2025, further underscoring the region's growing role as a destination rather than a transit route.
Drawing on data from more than 20 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, the analysis tracks evolving routes, motivations, and settlement trends. This mixed-method approach provides governments with a timely, evidence-based picture of how and why these dynamics are changing.
DTM is the most comprehensive human mobility data infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, with operations in more than 20 countries. Its data informs migration policy design, regional migration governance coordination mechanisms, and humanitarian response planning.
Read the full report "Cuban Migration Dynamics in Latin America and the Caribbean" here .
