Demographics of Trinidad and Tobago

This article is about the demographic features 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.

Ethnic groups

Ethnic group	Population	% of total*
Indo- Trinbago	521,275	40%
Afro-Trinbago	488,695	37.5%
Mixed	267,153	18.5%
European Trinbago	7,819	0.6%
Chinese Trinbago	3,909	0.3%
Other	14,335	1.1%
* Percentage of total Trinbago population

Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians

Indo-Trinidadians make up the country's largest ethnic group (approximately 40%).^[1] They are primarily descendants from indentured workers from India, brought to replace freed African slaves who refused to continue working on the sugar plantations. The Indian community is divided roughly half-and-half between those who maintained their original religions and those who have converted to Christianity or have no religious affiliation. Through cultural preservation groups, Trinidadians of Indian descent maintain many of their customs and rites.

Afro-Trinidadian and Tobagonians

Afro-Trinidadian and Tobagonian make up the country's second largest ethnic group (approximately 37.5%).^[2] Although African slaves were first imported in 1517, they constituted only 11 percent of the population (310) in 1783.^[3] The majority of the African slaves 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 1000 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. During this time there were many African slave owners. In 1807, the UK Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act 1807 that abolished the trading of slaves, and the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 abolished the practice of slavery.

Europeans

The European population is primarily descended from early settlers and immigrants. About half are of British origin, and the remainder are of French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German heritage. The recent census counted 11,000 of British, 4,100 Spanish, 4,100 French, 2,700 Portuguese and 2,700 German descent,^[4] thus yielding a total of 24,600 people in Trindad and Tobago of European descent. These numbers do not include people who have at least some European ancestry or self-identify as African or Indian. They may be descended from settlers from Spain, or from mixed-raced immigrants from Venezuela, commonly referred to as "Cocoa Panyols".

The French arrived mostly during the Spanish period to take advantage of free agricultural lands. The Portuguese were brought to replace freed African slaves when they refused to accept low wages. The Europeans who remained in Trinidad live in areas in and around Port of Spain. In Tobago, most Europeans are retirees from Germany and Scandinavia who have recently arrived there.

Mixed ethnicity

Given the large number of ethnic identities in Trinidad and Tobago, many citizens have a mixed ethnic heritage due to influences from French, West African, Creole, Chinese, Indian, German, Swiss, Portuguese, British, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Arab, Lebanese and African American ancestors. Additionally, there are also nationals of Hispanic ancestry, mainly from Venezuela along with a small number from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Common ethnic mixtures include people of European and African descent, mulattos, and Indian and African descent (often colloquially known as dougla). This mixed population is estimated at around 20.6%, however it is much higher when considering the various degrees of African, Indian, European, and indigenous Amerindian ancestry of the total population. A person might self identify as Black or Indian based on physical appearance however they might be genetically more similar to a person of Indian and African descent (dougla).^[5][6][7]

Other ethnic groups

There are groups of Chinese who, like the Portuguese and Indians, are descended from indentured labourers. They account for about 20,000 people and live mostly in Port-of-Spain and San Fernando. There are also about 2,500 Arabs, originating from Syria and Lebanon who live mostly in Port-of-Spain. The Syrian and Lebanese communities of Trinidad are predominantly Christian, migrating from the Middle East in the 19th century while fleeing religious persecution received from the Ottoman Empire later landing in the Caribbean and Latin America. Other Lebanese and Syrians came in the early to middle 20th century to escape the war and turmoil in the region. Finally there are the mixed raced Caribs who are descended from the native, precolonial people of the islands. They are organized around the Santa Rosa Carib Community and live mostly in and around Arima.

Emigration

Emigration from Trinidad and Tobago, as with other Caribbean nations, has historically been high; most emigrants go to the United States, Canada, and Britain. 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 2007, Trinidad and Tobago has been experiencing a low population growth rate (0.37%).

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population

• 1,047,366 (July 2008 est.) [1]

Age structure

0–14 years: 25% (male 151,736; female 146,135)
15–64 years: 68% (male 410,668; female 389,303)
65 years and over: 7% (male 34,559; female 43,122) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate

• -0.89% (2008 est.)
• -0.87% (2006 est.)

Birth rate

13.84 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

8.84 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate

• -11.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
• -9.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate

25.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 67.97 years
male: 65.45 years
female: 70.59 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

• 1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)
• 1.83 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality

noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s); informally Trinbagonian(s), Trini(s) (for people from either island)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian; informally Trinbagonian, Trini (for people from either island).

Ethnic groups

East Indian/Indo-Trinidadian (a local term - primarily immigrants from Tamil, Telugu and Bhojpuri-speaking regions) 40%, Blacks/African/Afro-Trinidadian 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, white 0.6%, Chinese and other 1.2% (including descendants of the indigenous Caribs).

Religions

Main article: Religion in Trinidad and Tobago

Roman Catholicism 29.4%, Hinduism 23.8%, Anglicanism 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterianism 3.4% and other (includes atheist and agnostic) 26.7%.

Languages

English (official); Hindi; Spanish (being introduced as a second language by the government) and those spoken by immigrants (i.e. Arabic, Tamil language, Mandarin Chinese, French and Portuguese among them).

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write 97.8%

References

1. ^ "Demographic Data". Indexmundi.com. 2008-12-18. http://www.indexmundi.com/trinidad_and_tobago/demographics_profile.html. Retrieved 2010-11-07. 
2. ^ "2000 Census information". Indexmundi.com. 2008-12-18. http://www.indexmundi.com/trinidad_and_tobago/demographics_profile.html. Retrieved 2010-11-07. 
3. ^ Country Studies – Trinidad
4. ^ http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php?rog3=TD
5. ^ Race Relations in Colonial Trinidad 1870–1900
6. ^ Trinidad French Creole
7. ^ Estimates of African, European and Native American Ancestry in Afro-Caribbean Men .