# Demographics of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha are British Overseas Territories in the south Atlantic Ocean.

## Saint Helena

| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1670 | 66 | — |
| 1723 | 1,110 | +5.47% |
| 1817 | 6,150 | +1.84% |
| 1851 | 6,914 | +0.34% |
| 1861 | 6,860 | −0.08% |
| 1871 | 6,241 | −0.94% |
| 1881 | 5,059 | −2.08% |
| 1891 | 4,116 | −2.04% |
| 1901 | 9,850 | +9.12% |
| 1911 | 3,520 | −9.78% |
| 1921 | 3,747 | +0.63% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1931 | 3,995 | +0.64% |
| 1946 | 4,748 | +1.16% |
| 1956 | 4,642 | −0.23% |
| 1966 | 4,649 | +0.02% |
| 1976 | 5,147 | +1.02% |
| 1987 | 5,644 | +0.84% |
| 1998 | 5,157 | −0.82% |
| 2008 | 4,257 | −1.90% |
| 2016 | 4,534 | +0.79% |
| 2021 | 4,439 | −0.42% |
Source: 2008 Census, St. Helena Government :
When Saint Helena was discovered in the 16th century the island was uninhabited. With almost 10,000 inhabitants at the 1901 census, the highest number of residents was reached. However, this number included almost 6,000 Boer prisoners of war. Excluding the prisoners of war (who were on the island during 1900-1902), the highest population in the twentieth century was reached in 1987. The population gradually decreased thereafter and reached 4,000 in 2024, mainly descended from Africans, Mixed race African and Europeans, British settlers, East India Company employees and indentured labourers from the South Asian sub-Continent, East Indies, Madagascar and China.
The language spoken in Saint Helena is English.
The people of Saint Helena are Saint Helenians (though locally they are known as "Saints"); the demonym being Saint Helenian.
A census in February 2016 recorded a population of 4,534 on the island. This compares with a figure of 4,257 recorded in 2008 and a figure of 5,157 recorded in 1998. The fall between 1998 and 2008 can be explained mostly by emigration, especially since 2002 when the islanders were granted full British citizenship. The main diasporas are to the United Kingdom, South Africa and more recently to the Falkland Islands, as well as on Ascension Island. The population density, based on the 2016 figure, is 37.3 persons per km$^2$, or 95.3 per sq mile.
The island of Saint Helena is administratively divided into eight districts, each with a community centre. The districts also serve as statistical subdivisions. The island is a single electoral area, sending twelve representatives to the Legislative Council.
| District balance | Area km$^2$ | Area sq mi | Pop. 1998 | Pop. 2008 | Pop. 2016 | Pop./km$^2$ 2016 |
| Alarm Forest | 5.4 | 2.1 | 289 | 276 | 383 | 70.4 |
| Blue Hill | 36.8 | 14.2 | 177 | 153 | 158 | 4.3 |
| Half Tree Hollow | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1,140 | 901 | 984 | 633.2 |
| Jamestown | 3.9 | 1.5 | 884 | 716 | 629 | 161.9 |
| Levelwood | 14.8 | 5.7 | 376 | 316 | 369 | 25.0 |
| Longwood | 33.4 | 12.9 | 960 | 715 | 790 | 23.6 |
| Sandy Bay | 16.1 | 6.2 | 254 | 205 | 193 | 12.0 |
| Saint Paul's | 11.4 | 4.4 | 908 | 795 | 843 | 74.0 |
| Royal Mail Ship St. Helena | – | – | 149 | 171 | 183 | – |
| Jamestown Harbour | – | – | 20 | 9 | 13 | – |
| Total | 123.3 | 47.6 | 5,157 | 4,257 | 4,349 | 35.3 |

### Age structure

Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 07.II.2021) (Data refer to resident population.):
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 2 247 | 2 192 | 4 439 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 94 | 88 | 182 | 4.10 |
| 5–9 | 109 | 112 | 221 | 4.98 |
| 10–14 | 117 | 96 | 213 | 4.80 |
| 15–19 | 83 | 92 | 175 | 3.94 |
| 20–24 | 92 | 83 | 175 | 3.94 |
| 25–29 | 112 | 89 | 201 | 4.53 |
| 30–34 | 107 | 107 | 214 | 4.82 |
| 35–39 | 119 | 151 | 270 | 6.08 |
| 40–44 | 101 | 131 | 232 | 5.23 |
| 45–49 | 158 | 150 | 308 | 6.94 |
| 50–54 | 205 | 195 | 400 | 9.01 |
| 55–59 | 171 | 179 | 350 | 7.88 |
| 60–64 | 205 | 186 | 391 | 8.81 |
| 65-69 | 174 | 145 | 319 | 7.19 |
| 70-74 | 167 | 157 | 324 | 7.30 |
| 75-79 | 138 | 106 | 244 | 5.50 |
| 80-84 | 60 | 64 | 124 | 2.79 |
| 85-89 | 30 | 31 | 61 | 1.37 |
| 90-94 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 0.59 |
| 95-99 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0.18 |
| 100+ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.02 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Per cent |
| 0–14 | 320 | 296 | 616 | 13.88 |
| 15–64 | 1 353 | 1 363 | 2 716 | 61.18 |
| 65+ | 574 | 533 | 1107 | 24.94 |
Sex ratio :
| Age range (years) | Ratio male/female |
| at birth | 1.049 |
| 0-14 | 1.04 |
| 15-64 | 1.04 |
| 65+ | 0.94 |
| Total | 1.02 |

### Vital statistics
#### Births and deaths

| Year | Population(01.01) (×1000) | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate | Crude death rate | Rate of natural change |
| 2009 | | 35 | 41 | −6 | 8.5 | 9.9 | −1.4 |
| 2010 | 4.121 | 34 | 53 | −19 | 9.1 | 12.5 | −3.4 |
| 2011 | 4.188 | 34 | 49 | −15 | 9.1 | 12.3 | −3.2 |
| 2012 | 4.316 | 32 | 62 | −30 | 8.5 | 12.4 | −3.9 |
| 2013 | 4.311 | 35 | 55 | −20 | 8.3 | 12.6 | -4.3 |
| 2014 | 4.649 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 8.8 | 13.4 | −4.6 |
| 2015 | 4.791 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 9.2 | 13.3 | −4.1 |
| 2016 | 4.837 | 35 | 45 | −10 | 9.3 | 12.7 | −3.4 |
| 2017 | 4.608 | 36 | 58 | −22 | 9.7 | 12.5 | −2.8 |
| 2018 | 4.951 | 26 | 52 | −26 | 9.1 | 12.3 | −3.2 |
| 2019 | 4.760 | 31 | 38 | −7 | 8.4 | 11.2 | −2.8 |
| 2020 | 4.609 | 29 | 49 | −20 | 6.3 | 10.6 | -4.3 |
| 2021 | 4,423 | 39 | 68 | -29 | 9.0 | 15.6 | -6.7 |
| 2022 | 4,268 | 26 | 64 | -38 | 6.1 | 15.0 | -8.9 |
| 2023 | 4,245 | 19 | 61 | -42 | 4.5 | 14.4 | -9.9 |

#### Life expectancy

By 2010 estimates, life expectancy at birth for the total population is 78.6 years (for males it is 75.68; for females it is 81.67).

#### Infant mortality

The infant mortality rate is 16.98 deaths per 1,000 live births.

### Ethnicity

According to the CIA World Factbook, 50% of the population of Saint Helena Island are African Saint Helenians, while Chinese Saint Helenians and White Saint Helenians make up 25% each. However, the possibility of clear-cut categorical divisions between ethnicities on present day St Helena, as reflected by these statistics, is disputed. Most Saint Helenians today are multiracial, similar to the Cape Coloureds.
Ascension has no civilian population, while Tristan da Cunha has a white population descended primarily from the British Isles or from the Falkland Islands.

### Religion

The majority of St. Helenians are Anglican. Other religions in St. Helena include (in alphabetic order): the Baháʼí Faith, the Baptist church, Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, and Seventh-day Adventism.
According to the statistics in the 2014 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Saint Helena has the highest proportion of Jehovah's Witnesses of any country or territory in the world: one person in thirty-five, using an estimated population of 4,000 for St Helena and a count of 118 members.
In Tristan da Cunha, Christianity is the main religion, with the largest denominations being Anglican and Roman Catholic.
| Religious | Resident population (St Helena) | Percentage |
| Yes | 3676 | 84.5 |
| No | 266 | 6.1 |
| Prefer not to say | 407 | 9.4 |
| Denomination | Resident population (St Helena) | Percentage |
| Anglican | 2995 | 81.5 |
| Jehovah's Witness | 178 | 4.8 |
| Baptist | 93 | 2.5 |
| Roman Catholic | 53 | 1.4 |
| New Apostolic | 61 | 1.7 |
| Seventh Day Adventist | 77 | 2.1 |
| Salvation Army | 75 | 2.0 |
| Baháʼí | 11 | 0.3 |
| Other | 97 | 2.6 |
| Not Stated | 36 | 1 |

## Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha

Ascension Island has a population of around eight hundred inhabitants, with the majority being Saint Helenians, located in Georgetown on the west coast of the island, with another small settlement, Two Boats, located in Ascension's interior.
Tristan da Cunha has a population of about three hundred inhabitants, mainly located in the Edinburgh of the Seven Seas settlement on Tristan's North Coast.

## Nationality

The citizens of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha hold British Overseas Territories citizenship. On 21 May 2002 they were granted access to full British citizenship by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002, and there is a special Saint Helena passport issued to them.