Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha: People & Society#
| Population | 7,795 note: Saint Helena's statistical agency estimated the enumerated national population (including Ascension Island and Tristan da Cuhna) to be 5,901 in 2016, according to the 2016 census; only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited, none of the other nearby islands/islets (July 2016 est.) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian note: referred to locally as "Saints" |
| Ethnic groups | African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25% |
| Languages | English |
| Religions | Protestant 75.9% (includes Anglican 68.9, Baptist 2.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.8%, Salvation Army 1.7%, New Apostolic 1.4%), Jehovah's Witness 4.1%, Roman Catholic 1.2%, other 2.5% (includes Baha'i), unspecified 0.8%, none 6.1%, no response 9.4% note: data represent Saint Helena only (2016 est.) |
| Demographic profile | The vast majority of the population of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha live on Saint Helena. Ascension has no indigenous or permanent residents and is inhabited only by persons contracted to work on the island (mainly with the UK and US military or in the space and communications industries) or their dependents, while Tristan da Cunha – the main island in a small archipelago – has fewer than 300 residents. The population of Saint Helena consists of the descendants of 17th century British sailors and settlers from the East India Company, African slaves, and indentured servants and laborers from India, Indonesia, and China. Most of the population of Ascension are Saint Helenians, Britons, and Americans, while that of Tristan da Cunha descends from shipwrecked sailors and Saint Helenians. Change in Saint Helena’s population size is driven by net outward migration. Since the 1980s, Saint Helena’s population steadily has shrunk and aged as the birth rate has decreased and many working-age residents left for better opportunities elsewhere. The restoration of British citizenship in 2002 accelerated family emigration; from 1998 to 2008 alone, population declined by about 20%. In the last few years, population has experienced some temporary growth, as foreigners and returning Saint Helenians, have come to build an international airport, but numbers are beginning to fade as the project reaches completion and workers depart. In the long term, once the airport is fully operational, increased access to the remote island has the potential to boost tourism and fishing, provide more jobs for Saint Helenians domestically, and could encourage some ex-patriots to return home. In the meantime, however, Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha have to contend with the needs of an aging population. The elderly population of the islands has risen from an estimated 9.4% in 1998 to 20.4% in 2016. |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 16.27% (male 647/female 624) 15-24 years: 12.12% (male 484/female 463) 25-54 years: 44.27% (male 1,709/female 1,750) 55-64 years: 12.72% (male 519/female 475) 65 years and over: 14.62% (male 582/female 560) (2016 est.) |
| Median age | total: 41.5 years male: 41.5 years female: 41.4 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 0.21% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 9.7 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Urbanization | urban population: 39.4% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: -0.59% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| Major urban areas - population | JAMESTOWN (capital) 1,000 (2014) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 13.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.5 years male: 76.6 years female: 82.6 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.58 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | NA |