This article is about the demography of the population of Trinidad and Tobago including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Population The total population of Trinidad and Tobago was 1,328,018 according to the 2011 census, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. According to the total population was estimated at in , compared to only 646,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 20.7%, 71% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 8.3% was 65 years or older.Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision Total population (x 1000)Proportionaged 0–14(%)Proportionaged 15–64(%)Proportionaged 65+(%) 1950 64639.956.14.0 1955 74042.254.23.7 1960 84842.853.73.5 1965 91243.453.23.4 1970 94641.454.34.2 19751 01137.657.54.8 19801 08534.060.65.5 19851 17134.360.25.6 19901 22233.660.75.8 19951 25530.863.26.1 20001 26825.667.96.5 20051 29721.870.97.2 20101 32820.771.08.3
Structure of the population
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 09.I.2011): Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 666 305 661 714 1 328 019 100 0–4 47 847 46 274 94 121 7.09 5–9 46 379 44 952 91 330 6.88 10–14 44 953 43 010 87 963 6.62 15–19 49 709 48 670 98 378 7.41 20–24 57 407 56 833 114 240 8.60 25–29 62 268 61 250 123 517 9.30 30–34 53 897 51 683 105 580 7.95 35–39 46 862 45 677 92 538 6.97 40–44 43 491 42 672 86 163 6.49 45–49 48 685 47 429 96 113 7.24 50–54 43 981 43 203 87 184 6.56 55–59 36 719 36 496 73 215 5.51 60–64 29 645 29 002 58 647 4.42 65–69 21 582 23 055 44 639 3.36 70–74 14 209 16 079 30 289 2.28 75–79 9 286 11 463 20 750 1.56 80+ 9 384 13 966 23 351 1.76Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent 0–14 139 179 134 236 273 415 20.59 15–64 472 665 462 915 935 580 70.45 65+ 54 461 64 563 119 024 8.96
Due to decreasing fertility, the proportion of children below the age of 15 is decreasing, while the proportion of elderly is increasing. The median age has increased from 21.6 in 1980, 24.1 in 1990, 28.1 in 2000 to 32.6 in 2011. The estimated mid-year population of 2014 is 1,344,000 (medium fertility scenario of The 2012 Revision of the World Population Prospects). As of January 2019, the estimated population is 1,383,368.
Emigration Emigration from Trinidad and Tobago, as with other Caribbean nations, has historically been high; most emigrants go to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Emigration has continued, albeit at a lower rate, even as the birth-rate sharply dropped to levels typical of industrialised countries. Largely because of this phenomenon, as of 2011, Trinidad and Tobago has been experiencing a low population growth rate (0.48%). More recently, there has been some return migration, chiefly from the United States after the recession of 2008, which caused a population jump in the last census in 2011.
Vital statistics
Registered births and deaths
Average populationLive birthsDeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000)TFR 1934 428,00012,7437,9704,77329.818.611.2 1935 435,00014,3527,6186,73433.017.515.5 1936 442,00014,6257,2307,39533.116.416.7 1937 450,00014,2267,8486,37831.617.414.2 1938 458,00015,1197,2837,83633.015.917.1 1939 466,00014,5257,4917,03431.216.115.1 1940 476,00016,5357,4999,03634.715.819.0 1941 492,00016,4947,9068,58833.516.117.5 1942 510,00017,7299,0288,70134.817.717.1 1943 525,00020,2108,69911,51138.516.621.9 1944 536,00020,9448,05512,88939.115.024.0 1945 547,00021,6167,95913,65739.514.625.0 1946 561,00021,7677,73414,03338.813.825.0 1947 578,00022,3427,82814,51438.713.525.1 1948 600,00023,9407,29316,64739.912.227.7 1949 616,00022,9317,48715,44437.212.225.1 1950 646,00023,7227,66516,05737.512.125.4 1951 659,00023,8047,81515,98936.712.024.6 1952 676,00022,9238,00014,92334.612.122.5 1953 695,00025,5657,26218,30337.710.727.0 1954 717,00029,2536,80722,44641.99.832.2 1955 740,00030,2167,46222,75441.910.331.6 1956 763,00027,4477,13620,31136.99.627.3 1957 786,00028,8487,28321,56537.79.528.2 1958 809,00029,6677,28822,37937.69.228.4 1959 829,00030,5927,47623,11637.49.228.3 1960 848,00032,8586,60826,25039.17.931.2 1961 865,00032,8806,89125,98937.97.930.0 1962 880,00034,1076,46527,64237.97.230.7 1963 893,00032,8986,66826,23035.67.228.4 1964 903,00032,9556,67526,28034.77.027.6 1965 912,00031,9536,73125,22232.86.925.9 1966 920,00030,0797,06023,01930.27.123.1 1967 926,00028,4626,77521,68728.26.721.5 1968 931,00028,1077,11620,99127.57.020.6 1969 938,00025,1307,06818,06224.46.917.6 1970 946,00025,1516,95618,12024.46.817.6 1971 956,00026,1167,04418,47324.66.817.9 1972 969,00028,0496,95520,09926.37.019.2 1973 983,00026,2317,51718,71424.87.117.7 1974 997,00026,1386,71619,42224.56.318.2 19751,011,00025,6736,89918,77425.46.818.6 19761,026,00027,1497,38819,76126.57.219.3 19771,040,00027,8957,31120,58426.87.019.8 19781,054,00028,2956,82421,47127.06.520.5 19791,069,00029,6987,06022,63827.96.621.3 19801,085,00029,8697,50622,36327.66.920.7 19811,103,00032,1777,35524,82229.46.722.7 19821,121,00032,5377,64124,89629.26.822.3 19831,139,00033,2087,54625,66229.26.622.5 19841,156,00031,5997,81923,78027.06.720.3 19851,171,00033,7198,02625,69328.86.921.9 19861,184,00031,8867,69924,18726.96.520.4 19871,195,00029,1678,05421,11324.46.717.7 19881,205,00026,9838,03618,94722.46.715.7 19891,214,00025,0728,21316,85920.76.813.9 19901,222,00023,9608,19615,76419.66.712.92.45 19911,230,00022,3688,19214,17618.26.711.52.34 19921,237,00023,0648,53314,53118.66.911.72.23 19931,244,00021,0948,80712,28717.07.19.92.13 19941,250,00019,6829,26510,41715.77.48.32.04 19951,255,00019,2589,04210,21615.37.28.11.96 19961,258,00017,9929,3768,61614.37.56.81.90 19971,261,00018,4529,1579,29514.67.37.41.84 19981,263,00017,8989,3658,53314.27.46.81.80 19991,265,00018,32110,0148,30714.57.96.61.77 20001,268,00018,1609,4788,68214.37.56.81.75 20011,272,00018,0789,7538,32514.27.76.51.74 20021,278,00016,9909,7977,19313.37.75.61.74 20031,284,00017,98910,2067,78314.07.96.11.75 20041,290,00017,2359,8727,36313.47.75.71.76 20051,294,49417,2649,8857,37913.37.65.71.77 20061,297,94418,0909,6688,42213.97.56.41.78 20071,303,18818,8899,6549,23514.57.47.11.79 20081,308,58719,88810,4639,42515.28.07.21.80 20091,310,10617,4999,6937,80613.47.46.01.80 20101,317,71419,09210,4778,61514.58.06.51.81 20111,328,01918,14110,0078,13413.77.56.21.80 20121,335,19419,8019,62710,17414.87.27.61.738 20131,340,55718,74110,3768,36514.07.76.31.741 20141,345,34318,43110,6427,78913.77.95.81.751 20151,349,66718,89611,5807,31614.08.65.41.678 20161,353,89518,37311,1457,22813.68.25.41.666 20171,356,63317,39311,6555,73812.88.64.21.506 20181,359,19317,21811,6585,56012.78.64.11.493 20191,363,98516,05811,2664,79211.88.33.5 20201,366,725~15,731~12,984~2,74711.59.52.0 20211,367,558~14,223~13,388~88310.49.80.6 20221,365,805~14,000~18,356~–4,35710.313.4–3.2 20231,367,510~13,073~13,976~–8899.610.2–0.7 20241,368,333~12,041~13,820~–1,7798.810.1–1.3 20251,367,7648.010.3–2.3
Life expectancy at birth PeriodLife expectancy inYearsPeriodLife expectancy inYears1950–195557.91985–199068.21955–196060.81990–199568.41960–196564.11995–200068.71965–197064.82000–200569.31970–197565.52005–201070.21975–198066.72010–201570.81980–198567.3 Source: UN World Population Prospects
Ethnic groups
+ Population of Trinidad and Tobago according to ethnic group Ethnicgroup Census 1946 Census 1960 Census 1970 Census 1980 Census 1990 Census 2000 Census 2011 Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %Indian195,74735.1301,94636.5373,53840.1426,66040.3453,06940.3446,27340.0 468,52435.43African261,48546.9358,58843.3398,76542.8434,73041.1445,44439.6418,26837.5452,53634.22Mixed78,77514.1134,74916.3133,70614.4175,15016.5207,55818.4228,08920.5301,86622.82European including Portuguese15,2832.720,2022.411,3831.29,8500.97,2540.67,034 0.6 8,6690.65Chinese5,6411.08,3611.07,9620.95,6700.54,3140.43,800 0.3 4,0030.30Amerindian 1,3940.11Syrian, Lebanese or Arab8890.21,5900.2 1,0100.19340.1849 0.1 1,0290.08Other 6,7140.84,3320.52,9000.31,7240.21,972 0.2 2,2800.17Unknown or undeclared1500.02910.01,385 2,3500.24,8310.48,487 0.8 82,2466.22Total557,970827,957 1,058,3201,125,1281,114,7721,322,546
Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians
Indo-Trinidadians make up the country's largest ethnic group (approximately 35.43%). Indo-Trinidadians are primarily the descendants of indentured workers from British India.
Afro-Trinidadian and Tobagonians
Afro-Trinidadian and Tobagonian make up the country's second largest ethnic group (approximately 34.22%). Although enslaved Africans were first imported in 1517, they constituted only 11 percent of the population (310) in 1783. Many Afro-Trinbagonians have ancestors hailing from West and West-central Africa, akin to numerous other Caribbean islands and in some cases a result of later migration between the islands. This would have been from many kingdoms, states, and peoples from a range of modern-day Senegal in the north to Angola in the south. The majority of the enslaved Africans were brought in the last few years of Trinidad's Spanish colonial era, and the beginning of the British colonial period. The Cedula of Population transformed a small colony of 1,000 in 1773 to 18,627 by 1797. In the census of 1777 there were only 2,763 people recorded as living on the island, including some 2,000 Arawaks. In 1807, the UK Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act 1807 that abolished the trading of enslaved persons, and the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 abolished the practice of slavery itself. Numerous staples of Trinbagonian culture have Afro-Trinbagonian roots, such as Calypso, Carnival, and traditional dishes such as callaloo.
European Trinidadian and Tobagonians
The European Trinidadian (or White Trinidadian) population is primarily descended from early settlers and immigrants. The recent census counted 8,669 people of European descent including those of Portuguese descent. These numbers do not include people who have at least some European ancestry or self-identify as African or Indian.
The French arrived mostly during the Spanish period to take advantage of free agricultural lands. Some Portuguese arrived in the mid-nineteenth century and more came at the turn of the century. The Europeans who remained in Trinidad live in areas in and around Port of Spain. Furthermore, British rule led to an influx of settlers from the United Kingdom and the British colonies of the Eastern Caribbean and descendants of English indentured workers brought in as overseers following the end of the Second World War.
The Portuguese came to Tobago and Trinidad as early as the 17th century, including groups of Jews, Catholics and Protestants. For over 140 years, from 1834 up to 1975, the ancestors of the modern Portuguese community in Trinidad and Tobago hailed mostly from the archipelago of Madeira, starting from 1846, with the earliest registers being from the Azores in 1834.
Most Portuguese came directly from Madeira, and also via Guyana, St Vincent, Antigua and St Kitts.
Important communities settled in Port of Spain, Arima, Arouca, Chaguanas, San Fernando and Scarborough.
In 2011, the Madeiran Portuguese Community of Trinidad and Tobago celebrated their 165th Anniversary of arrival of the first Madeirans in Trinidad back in 1846.
Recalling the presence of the Portuguese in the nation today are over 100 Portuguese surnames, some of which have become street nomenclature. As an independent nation, the country has recognised several members of the Portuguese community through official awards.
In Tobago, many white residents are retirees who have recently arrived there.
Mixed ethnicity