A large majority of the residents of Saint Kitts and Nevis are descended from African slaves. About a tenth of the population has a mixed white and black background. The white minority of European origin comprises around 1,000 people. About half of the population has their roots in India.
Immigration to the US and other western countries has at times been extensive. During the period 1960–1990, the population shrank by one-fifth, even though the birth rates were relatively high. Then the trend has reversed. Migration has decreased and more emigrants are returning home, while birth rates have dropped.
- COUNTRYAAH.COM: Key populations estimated size and data of St. Kitts and Nevis, including population density of how many people per square mile. Also included are facts for population and language.
Foreigners can buy citizenship in the country. This arrangement has drawn criticism from the United States and Canada, which claims that the system both facilitates illegal immigration to North America and partly gives criminals a sanctuary.
The population is concentrated to the main island of Saint Kitts, where over 80 percent of the residents live. Both islands speak English, which is the official language, as well as a Creole language that emerged through the mixture of black slaves and Europeans. The Creole vocabulary is taken from the English language but it has a different grammar.
FACTS – POPULATION AND LANGUAGE
Population
blacks and people of mixed European and African descent; small groups of whites and people of Indian origin
Number of residents
55 345 (2017)
Number of residents per square kilometer
213 (2017)
Percentage of residents in the cities
30.8 percent (2017)
Nativity / birth
17.3 per 1000 residents (2002)
Mortality / mortality
10.8 per 1000 residents (2002)
POPULATION GROWTH
1.0 percent (2017)
fertility rate
2.1 number of children born per woman (2002)
Life expectancy
71 years (2002)
Life expectancy for women
74 years (2002)
Life expectancy for men
69 years (2002)
Language
English is an official language and is widely spoken, in addition, a mixed language based on English with African features.