How many Cubans have drowned trying to leave Cuba?

The number of Cubans that have died trying to leave Cuba is uncertain. Due to the political sensitivities of the matter, the Cuban government does not release records of these drownings. Additionally, the information gathered by other non-Cuban organizations is often based on estimates and can be inconsistent.

Human Rights Watch provided a widely circulated statistic in 2003 that 1,100 people drowned over a 20-year period, between 1979 and 1999. Another estimate, based on data gathered by the Association of Cuban Detainees in Miami states that 1,473 people died between 1989 and 2000. According to the Cuban American National Foundation, at least 14,500 Cubans are dead or remain missing in the Florida Straits over the past 50 years.

Some of the discrepancies in the numbers can be attributed to the complex nature of the topic and the political situation in Cuba.