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Aruba - People

Population was 113,648 (July 2016 est.). Ethnic groups are Dutch 82.1%, Colombian 6.6%, Venezuelan 2.2%, Dominican 2.2%, Haitian 1.2%, other 5.5%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)

Aruba’s two official languages are Dutch Aruba and Papiamento, a Creole language spoken by most of the population; English and Spanish are taught in schools and spoken widely. Languages are Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak) 69.4%, Spanish 13.7%, English (widely spoken) 7.1%, Dutch (official) 6.1%, Chinese 1.5%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.) Religions include Roman Catholic 75.3%, Protestant 4.9% (includes Methodist 0.9%, Adventist 00.9%, Anglican 0.4%, other Protestant 2.7%), Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 12%, none 5.5%, unspecified 0.5% (2010 est.)

Monthly income per capita from employment in Aruba was US$ 1,543 in 2006. The lowest income decile earned US$ 562 per month while the top decile earned US$ 2,778. In 2010, half of households (50.5%) had a monthly income between US$ 1,681 and US$ 5,040, 28.7% of households earned between US$ 841 and US$ 1,680, and 12.2% earned US$ 840 or less. Under 10% earned more than US$ 5,000 per month.

In 2010, there were 34,880 households in Aruba with an average size of 3.1 persons and 28 collective living quarters such as homes for the elderly, at-risk youths, or persons with disabilities. The proportion of working-age Arubans who were employed in 2007 was 62.4%, and youth employment (ages 15–24) was 23.3%. In 2009, adult literacy was 99.4% (99.3% for men and 99.5% for women). In that same year, the total net enrollment ratio in primary education was 96.8% (95.0% for boys and 98.4% for girls) and the primary completion rate was 94.8%.

In 2010, the estimated population was 107,795. The population grew by 5.2% between 2006 and 2010, with annual net migration of 6.0% (more men migrated out of the country than did women). A wide range of foreign nationals reside in the country, most coming from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. The sex ratio is 92 men per 100 women. In 2010, total life expectancy at birth was 75.5 years (72.5 for men and 78.6 for women); the total fertility rate was 1.9 children per woman and the crude birth rate was 12.8 births per 1,000 population.

In 2000, 23.1% of the population was under 14 years old, and 7.0% was 60 years old and older. By 2010, the age group under 14 years old had declined to 18.9% of the population, while the number of adults 60 years and older more than doubled, comprising 15.1% of the population. The age dependency ratio (proportion of dependents per 100 people working) was 41.7. Aruba’s population structure has a pyramid shape for age groups older than 45 years and an inverted pyramid for age groups 20–45 years old. The proportion of age groups younger than 15 years old had been declining. This irregular shape reflected a reduction in fertility rates and migration movements.