Population and Demographics

Greek and Turkish Cypriots share many customs but maintain separate ethnic identities based on religion, language, and close ties with their respective motherlands. Greeks comprise 77% of the island's population, Turks 18%, while the remaining 5% are of other ethnicities.

After the Turkish invasion of 1974, about 150,000 Turks from Anatolia were transferred or decided to settle in the north. This has changed the actual demographic structure of the island.

In the years since the census data was gathered in 2000, Cyprus has also seen a large influx of guest workers from countries such as Thailand, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as major increases in the numbers of permanent British residents. The island is also home to a significant Armenian minority, as well as a large refugee population consisting of people mainly from Serbia, Palestine and Lebanon.

Since the country joined the European Union, a significant Polish population has also grown up, joining sizeable communities from Russia and Ukraine (mostly Pontic Greeks, immigrating after the fall of the Eastern Bloc), Bulgaria, Romania and Eastern European states.

Most Greek Cypriots, and thus the majority of the population of Cyprus, belong to the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Cyprus (Cypriot Orthodox Church), whereas most Turkish Cypriots are Sunni Muslims. Church attendance is relatively high and Cyprus is known, along with Malta and Greece, as one of the most religious countries in the European Union. In addition, there are also small Roman Catholic, Maronite and Armenian Apostolic communities in Cyprus.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 855,000 (includes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus)
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 19.9% (male 80,273/female 76,826)
  • 15-64 years: 68.3% (male 272,924/female 265,738)
  • 65 years and over: 11.8% (male 40,458/female 52,238)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 35.1 years
  • Male: 34.1 years
  • Female: 36.2 years
• Population Growth Rate: 0.527%
• Birth Rate: 12.56 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 7.72 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: 0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.045 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.027 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.774 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 0.997 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 8.54 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 77.98 years
  • Male: 75.6 years
  • Female: 80.49 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 1.8 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: 0.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: less than 1,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Greek 77%
  • Turkish 18%
  • Other 5%
• Religions:
  • Greek Orthodox 78%
  • Muslim 18%
  • Other (includes Maronite and Armenian Apostolic) 4%
• Languages:
  • Greek
  • Turkish
  • English
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 97.6%
  • Male: 98.9%
  • Female: 96.3%