The Suba, as a distinct ethnic group, are very nearly extinct. Kenya's 1999 national census estimated their number to be 83,000, though the number of pure Suba speakers weren't identified.

The demise of the Suba has resulted from intermarriage between the Luo and the Suba and a colonial policy that crafted borders that effectively cut off the Kenyan Subas from their kin in Tanzania and Uganda.

The consequence of these circumstances are Subas’ who are fluent in Luo, with Luo spouses and names, but who cannot speak their extinct mother tongue, practice their culture, or pass their own history to the next generation.

The colonial government set up most of the area's health centers, schools, and trading centers in Luoland, forcing ambitious Subas to move there. With their demographic insignificance, it was only a matter of time before they were finally vanquished, culturally and linguistically. A century ago, they occupied the area from present day Homa Bay district in southwestern Kenya to Lake Tanganyika in neighboring Tanzania, in addition to Lake Victoria's Rusinga and Mfangano Islands. These days, their remnants are only found in tiny pockets in Homa Bay, Muhuru Bay, Gwassi, Wuond, and Kaskgiri areas.

The Suba, have stopped circumcising their sons, like that which is done in most Bantu communities, and opted for the removal of the lower six teeth, as is common in most Nilotic groups. Also gone is their naming system that was based on animals, plants, and natural phenomena. The Subas, known to be agriculturalists, are now dependent on fishing as a main economic occupation.