Population:
7,862 (July 2020 est.)
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 are
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 225
[see also: Population country ranks ]

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% (2016 est.)
note: data represent Saint Helena only

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: 15.15% (male 607/female 584)
[see also: Age structure - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 12.12% (male 486/female 467)
[see also: Age structure - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 43.06% (male 1,685/female 1,700)
[see also: Age structure - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 12.96% (male 503/female 516)
[see also: Age structure - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 16.71% (male 670/female 644) (2020 est.)

[see also: Age structure - 65 years and over country ranks ]
population pyramid:
This is the population pyramid for Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Median age:
total: 43.2 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 43.2 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 43.3 years (2020 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 30

Population growth rate:
0.13% (2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 185
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
9.4 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 199
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 81
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 94
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Population distribution:
Saint Helena - population is concentrated in and around the capital Jamestown in the northwest, with another significant cluster in the interior Longwood area; Ascension - largest settlement, and location of most of the population, is Georgetown; Tristan da Cunha - most of the nearly 300 inhabitants live in the northern coastal town of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Urbanization:
urban population: 39.9% of total population (2019)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 0.73% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
1,000 JAMESTOWN (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 101 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 12 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 14.1 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 107

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total population country ranks ]
male: 77.1 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 83.1 years (2020 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 50
[See also: Healthy Life Expectancy ]
[See also: Health Performance ]

Total fertility rate:
1.6 children born/woman (2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data): 187
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
NA
[see also: Education expenditures country ranks ]