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Bermuda - People

CIA estimated the population at 70,537 (July 2016 est.). The 2010 census reported Bermuda’s population to be 64,327, a 9.9% increase over the 1991 census. The population 65 years old and older represented 13.5% of the population in 2010, an increase of 60.9% over 1991; 16.4% of the population was under the age of 15 years in 2010, compared to 19.5% in 1991.

The trend of growth in the elderly population and decline in the population under age 15 continued between 2000 and 2010. The annual population growth rate continued to be 0.56% up to 2010. Life expectancy at birth was 77.9 years in 2000, rising to an estimated 80.6 years (83.9 years for women and 77.4 years for men) at the end of 2010. In 2007, potential years of life lost (before the age of 70 years) were 6,954 in males per 100,000 population and only 1,886 in women.

A July 2005 estimate put Bermuda's population at 65,365. The ethnic makeup of Bermuda is 54.8% black, 34.1% white, and 6.4% multiracial. The islands have a small but growing Asian community. A significant segment of the population is also of Portuguese ancestry (10%), the result of immigration from Portuguese-held islands (especially the Azores) during the past 160 years.

Some islanders, especially in St. David's, trace their ancestry to Native Americans. Hundreds were shipped to Bermuda, possibly from as far as Mexico. The best known examples were the Algonquian peoples who were exiled from the New England colonies and sold into slavery in the 17th century, notably in the aftermaths of the Pequot War, and King Philip's War.

Several thousand expatriate workers, principally from the UK, Canada, the West Indies, and the U.S., also reside in Bermuda, primarily engaged in specialised professions such as accounting, finance, and insurance. Others are employed in various trades, such as hotels, restaurants, construction, and landscaping services. Of the total workforce of 38,947 persons in 2005, government employment figures state that 11,223 (29 percent) are non-Bermudians.

According to preliminary analysis of 2010 census data, 54% of the population self-identified racially as Black; 31% as White; 8% as mixed race (‘‘Black and White,’’ ‘‘Black and other,’’ and ‘‘White and other’’); 4% as Asian; and 2% as ‘‘other.’’ Seventy-nine percent of those participating in the census had Bermudian status; 69% of the population stated they were born in Bermuda and 29% reported they were foreign-born. Nearly half of the population stated they belonged to a church: Anglican (16%), Roman Catholic (15%), African Methodist Episcopal (9%), and Seventh Day Adventist (7%).

Bermuda is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with an economy supported by international business and tourism; increasing coastal development places intense pressure on the island’s natural resources, namely on the marine environment and more specifically on the northernmost coral reef system in the world.

Education is compulsory to the age of 17 and is free in public schools. A 2006 study of adult literacy and life skills found that 62% of adults in Bermuda scored at or above an adequate level for prose literacy, 54% for document literacy, and 46% for numeracy. In 2010, school enrollment for primary school (% gross) was 92%. In 2006 (last estimate), the literacy rate was 98.5% (98% in males and 99% in females).