Population reaches historic high

| 05/10/2017 | 107 Comments

(CNS): At the end of 2016 the population of the Cayman Islands had reached an historic recorded high of 61,361 people, according to the latest Compendium of Statistics released by the Economics and Statistics Office. Caymanians now make up 55.6% of the population, the lowest proportion of locals to non-Caymanians since 2001, when Caymanians made up just 53% of the population. The statistics reveal that the number of people living in the Cayman Islands has more than doubled over the last 25 years, when it was less than 30,000 and more than 63% were Caymanian.

The growth in population represents just a 1.6% increase in numbers since 2015, when the population had grown some 3.7% over 2014, but continues the growth trend since 2013, when there was a decline.

The finding include: women make up more than 52%, the highest female percentage since before 2005; 52% of the entire population lives in George Town; 12,669 people (more than 20% of the population) live in the district of Bodden Town, which has surpassed West Bay to become the second most populated district; the largest age group is between 35 and 44 years old, which accounts for almost 23% of the entire population; the next largest group is children under 14 years old, which accounts for 17.5%.

Other findings include: the GDP per capita fell from 48,167 in 2015 to 47,864 at the end of last year; and life expectancy for babies born in Cayman today is more than 82 years.

But a significant amount of statistics are already out of date. Some of the population figures are based on the results of the 2010 census and others were collected and collated well before the end of 2016, making even the most recent facts dated.

According to the compendium, the total number of families who received assistance from the Needs Assessment Unit decreased in 2015/2016 to 1,805 compared to 1,994 in the financial year 2014/15. However, NAU officials recently indicated that the unit is currently assisting more than 2,000 families.

Download the full Compendium here.

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Comments (107)

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  1. West bay Premier says:

    At the population rate of growth and garbage accumulation , by the year 2030 , the whole Island would be covered with garbage .

  2. Anonymous says:

    what would jesus say/do?

  3. Anonymous says:

    Remember the devastation of Hurricane Ivan ? 40,000 pop. 10,000 people left. 27,000 people took their place

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  4. West bay Premier says:

    I will tell the Cayman Islands Government like how this US Congressman told the USA Congress , that if we put anymore troops on the Island of Guam it would tip over .

    But I would tell the CI Government a little more the Cayman Islands are going to have MANY MANY MORE PROBLEMS. .

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    • Anonymous says:

      That makes so much sense 8.58 that I cannot understand it at all.

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      • West bay Premier says:

        I know that was too much for you to understand 9 other smart people did .

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        • Anonymous says:

          Idiots tend to come in groups.

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          • Anonymous says:

            Yes. They come here all the time from all over the world. Some groups just want to live and work in peace here. The worst kind of group are those that come here thinking they know everything and that we could not have existed until they arrived. There are so many in that group, it is very annoying!

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  5. "Anonymousir" says:

    how many of those caymanians are born and raised. … can bet they were giving out PRs to help boast these statistics …

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    • Anonymous says:

      What does it matter? None of you were born here, we are all expats, its just a question of how long we have been here. If you got a Caymanian passport, you is Caymanian. End of. I do understand that your pea size closed mind may have trouble absorbing that, but if we left it to the “born and rainsed” we would all be dead by now and Cayman would be a Mexican or Venezuelan enclave.

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      • Anonymous says:

        ummm…. having a Caymanian Passport don’t actually makes you a Caymanian!

        Learn the facts before talking.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Caymanian is not a nationality though.

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          • Anon E. Mus says:

            @2:23 pm

            nationality – Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com
            https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nationality
            Your nationality is the country you come from: American, Canadian, and Russian are all nationalities

            nationality Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary
            dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/nationality
            nationality meaning, definition, what is nationality: the official right to belong to a particular country: .

            na·tion·al·i·ty
            ˌnaSHəˈnalədē/Submit
            noun
            1.
            the status of belonging to a particular nation.
            “they changed their nationality and became Lebanese”
            synonyms: citizenship
            “what is your nationality?”

            sorry you were saying???

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            • Diogenes says:

              @Anon E. Mus
              Legally speaking, technically he is right, check your passport, I’ll assure you it says “British Overseas Territory Citizen” because we are not an independent nation, ( It’s kinda similar to how each state in the US has their own denonyms people from Florida might call themselves Floridian or Floridan, but generally we would refer to them as Americans (slight difference in that example is that because of how the US was formed each Citizen is also a citizen of their respective states, but that is a complicated mess) .
              We refer to ourselves as Caymanians it is a denonym not a nationality and it’s not like anyone is going to stop us from calling ourselves that but, at the same time you have to acknowledge that legally outside of what our government recognizes as “Caymanian” (which is another whole set of complexities in itself) not very many people are going to recognize us as “Caymanians”. It is a name we gave ourselves not a name that we are legally recognized by.

              Of course bringing this up is always a quick way to get a swift nationalistic response, but I am simply highlighting the facts, I have inserted little if any opinion at all, I do believe that I am Caymanian but I also recognize the complexities of the situation a good start would be getting the UK to issue documents referring to us, using the title we claim but I doubt mother is going to be swayed by a set of rocks with 30,000 “Caymanian” people almost 5,000 miles away. They have slightly more pressing matters than concerning themselves with what a tiny portion of their citizens call themselves.

            • Anonymous says:

              Cayman is a territory, not a country. Whether you are Caymanian or not has nothing to do with nationality.

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            • Anonymous says:

              Pompous tool. I was going to explain why your are wrong, but others have kindly taken the time to do it already.

      • Anonymous says:

        you piece of ca-ca….you would like to believe that. I assure you if you leave and take 100 of your friends with you….make it 500 we would not miss one of you. Flush toilet.

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        • Anonymous says:

          “You piece of ca-ca” , solid grown up response. Not to worry, not anyone will be missing you either. Not to mention you called your home a toilet?! Love it.

      • Anonymous says:

        1;41 pm, what is “rainsed” Plenty of us was born here and some was born overseas of Caymanian parents. and we were during fine before the likes of you came here, so go home and you will see that we will be fine. But you won’t leave here because here is 100% better than where you come from. And to all the expats that are here and love it here and don’t run down the country and its people, we say a BIG WELCOME and thanks.

  6. Tax Man Cometh says:

    McKeeva and now the Premier Alden have the same objective which is to grow the population to 100,000 persons to expand the tax base and prepare the Cayman Islands for the implementation of a direct form of taxation likely to be income tax, property tax or VAT.

    This has always been there agenda the mass status grants and PR giveaways are all the proof you need to understand this.

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    • Diogenes says:

      Any members of the LA stupid enough to present and second a motion or bill regarding the implementation of any form of direct taxation will most likely be unseated in the next election, they might as well give their seats away, any party that backs said initiative would also likely see a significant drop in popularity, significant enough to put them in the minority position. Anyone who proposes anything like this would be the target for multiple challengers during the election period, people like independents would have a field day promising to undo or repeal the system. The way our government and legislatures work makes it very easy for them to get away with most of what they do but if you think that a sales tax or income tax is going to be taken by any caymanian sitting down you have another thing coming, I’ll remind you this is the same government that fails to follow up on garbage collection fees and the fees from the island’s national carrier when they carry which it subsidizes and supports, watching them try to set up a direct tax system would be like watching a man with one arm trying to tie his shoes, they would fumble and mess it all up and it would just come undone as soon as they stopped paying attention.

      Let’s not forget this is Cayman, the people here abhor change in most forms, everything has to be how it was 250 years ago when they were kids, people get on the radio and complain that they don’t hear church bells ringing and that people don’t stop driving and talk to them anymore ( I don’t know about most people but when I get in my car it is because I have somewhere to go, maybe that’s just me)

      Conspiracy theories are great and very entertaining and all but where is the proof that this is going to happen, not certain if you are the tax man who is very vocal on local radio programs, but if you are I am under the impression that you aren’t exactly against the idea of direct income tax in the first place ( I could be mistaken but your name leads me to that conclusion. I don’t understand how the PR status grants are indication of their plan, wouldn’t it be smarter to grow the local population instead of importing persons who if anything can just return to their countries of origin and stop paying proposed taxes. The caymanians for the most part are what some would call a captive audience.

      This whole plan would also require new government agencies to be formed for the collection and implementation of the new tax system, which would require months if not years of planning and organizing to set up, if something like this was to happen it wouldn’t just appear out of thin air their would be a very obvious paper trail prior to its reveal

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    • MM says:

      If you read the Governors dispatches for the years leading up to the mass status grants you would note that the pressure to “give-away” citizenship came down from the UK.

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  7. ? says:

    With all the new PR being approved, please expect one grant to blossom into 5 or more peeps that are related or simply know the new holder of that document to take nest also. Once the key is cut and is handed out the door can be opened at will

    kinda earlier for a head count right now A ? Check back in six months should be 65 k by then

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    • Anonymous says:

      70K

      • Anonymous says:

        And police cant handle the problems of a small population now, how will they be able to handle more? Typical Cayman “leadership”. Chasing down the almighty dollar, to hell with the consequences.
        Thank God, their children and grandchildren will pay the price with the rest of us. Shortsighted, unadulterated GREED.
        It has nothing to do with taxes, it’s about payoffs and votes.

  8. Caymanian says:

    I am reading the comments and I am baffled by questions like “how many of those Caymanians are born Caymanians?” And “How many of those Caymanians are even Caymanian” What/who is a “real” Caymanian?
    This just displays how ignorant some people are.

    Whether a person’s family go back ten generations, if someone was born here to Caymanian parents or was granted Caymanian status, you are considered Caymanian! Period!

    But questions like those just show that no matter how much a person contributes to this island, no matter what you do, some people will NEVER accept you as Caymanian. It is ridiculous!

    For the people asking about “born Caymanians”, years ago many people here were actually born in Jamaica due to the lack of medical facilities, so are they also not considered “Caymanian”? Women who now have to go to the United States and have their children for medical reasons, are their children not considered Caymanian?

    If you don’t want people to get Caymanian status then don’t grant them because it is obvious that no matter what, you will never consider them to be Caymanian.

    Some people here are very bigoted and hateful.

    I don’t think even the Government has a grasp on what is or is able to define “Caymanian” because I recently learned that my children, who were born here to both Caymanian parents are not considered Caymanian either until Immigration acknowledges them as such!

    For the record, my family does go back 10 generations and both my husband and I were born here to Caymanian parents.

    I guess to some people that makes me a “real” Caymanian when compared with someone who has been here longer than I have been born and has Caymanian status? Do people not see how ridiculous that belief is?

    Stop the divisive, hateful behaviour. A Caymanian is a Caymanian! There are no levels of how “real” of a Caymanian you are.

    We say we are a Christian island, we are surely not acting like Christians.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Well said! i think social media is partially to blame. So many hateful posts from people who consider themselves leaders. For example the page I Am Caymanian Where Are My Rights. I didn’t know how hated expats and non “native” Caymanians truly are until I started following that page. I like to keep on top of the news and concerns of the community I live in, and sadly it made me realize how unwanted most of us are. Gives this beautiful country a really bad name. Such a shame.

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      • Breadfruit says:

        That page is ran by a very miserable woman (KT) who loves to stir up drama and problems. Don’t let her negativity affect you, isn’t worth it.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Where is that page? Haven’t seen it in awhile!

          • Diogenes says:

            Something happened, I think they have it down for the time being, it is probably still there but for now we are spared her craziness, we just have the other crazy one left to shoo away

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            • Jotnar says:

              The other ones spat with a former MLA may be her undoing. Big damages bill and possibly Jail time. Guess someone finally woke to fact that if you promulgate unsubstantiated hate sooner or later some one will call you on it.

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              • Diogenes says:

                @Jotnar All we can do is thank Mr Archer, for all that he has done for these islands, I feel like this may be his greatest achievement yet, putting a human sized muzzle on her and her “news” publication which is nothing more than a glorified gossip chain, as my grandmother would say, I wouldn’t let her flush my toilet after a good mango shit

                Dio

    • Anonymous says:

      No, a Caymanian is a Caymanian only if they are a Caymanian. Many hundreds of persons are here and believe they are Caymanian, but are not. It is nothing to do with your culture or where you are born. It is a simple question of law.

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      • Anonymous says:

        The law is a ass…

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      • ANON. says:

        I think you missed the poster’s point.
        Once you have been deemed Caymanian, by law or Immigration or whatever makes you comfortable, there is no distinction between those Caymanians.
        Whether one person was born here or got Caymanian status they are Caymanian!

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        • Anon E. Mus says:

          I can get a British Passport and have all of the rights of a British Person. The end of the day that makes me a British Citizen, NOT a British National. Big difference between the two

      • Jotnar says:

        Yep. But what about all those ghost Caymanian who came her as kids, didn’t do the paperwork when they hit 18, and think they ar Caymanian but as a matter of strict law are not.

    • Anonymous says:

      If you all are giving status and call yourselves Caymanians, then give up your other home passport, then we will see who is really a Caymanian.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Why would we possibly want to do that when we want to go home to civilisation and culture? Status is more about being able to leave and being able to get others to make you really easy money.

  9. Handle Man says:

    100,000 ton of garbage increase speaks volumes, Its time Cayman to put a limit on our population before our problems increase. Go home you economic refugees and leave your pension too haven’t you taken enough damage from these islands!

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Go and don’t come back.. Good Riddance!!!!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Actually can’t wait to get off of this hate filled rock. And nope, won’t ever be coming back nor will I ever promote the place as a good place to visit. In my time spent here, the only “caymankindness” I encountered was from non Caymanians. Ya’ll are harshing my mellow. One way ticket booked. You’re welcome.

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      • Breadfruit says:

        Thanks, now go back and deal with the orange trumpet who thinks Coal is superior to Solar.

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        • Anonymous says:

          lol! Thankfully the orange trumpet is not the leader of where I come from friend. But fair assumption…

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      • Diogenes says:

        I’m sorry that, your experience here has been unpleasant, just remember not all of us are crazy

  11. Anonymous says:

    Will be a lot less after the Pension Exodus.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    100,000 is the number. No pensions deficit or unpaid Cinico when this little revenue generator gets self sustaining.

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    • Anonymous says:

      How do the mindless “leaders” & their big financial backers think they’ll keep the population at 100k? Is sterilisation now a requirement of the PR applications process?
      Increasing the population randomly without a long term plan can only mean one thing. It’s about the money for this government. When they have collected for themselves and killed Cayman for the rest of us they can afford to live anywhere. They’ll be nothing left here.
      Roads and a dock are their focus but those roads will never accommodate this kind of increase. Can I spell ROAD RAGE for you?
      What about health services, schools, policing, water, sewage, DUMP? Are they going to be left the way they are, already long time over capacity?
      It is plain the MO of the “progressives” has never been about fixing the glaring national problems, it has only ever been about how to get elected. They stopped caring about their own 8 years ago when they pushed Mac out of Dart’s bed and they climbed in.
      We are already dead folks, they are now just arranging for our burial.

  13. Anonymous says:

    On another note, cannabis oils hits Cayman’s streets and the population now has reached a historical “high”. Really, hmmm

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  14. Anonymous says:

    The numbers are total nonsense. There are more work permits than there are expatriates according to the ESO, and that does not include all the spouses and children of work permit holders.

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    • Anon. says:

      I could wait while you figure out how it is possible to have more work permits than expats………

      Or maybe I will help you out……

      Besides the obvious of work permit holders have spouses and dependents
      many people leave the island before the work permit expires, their employer don’t bother to cancel the work permit,
      Some expats may have more than one work permit, this will all lead to more work permits than expats.

      Still think that numbers are nonsense?

  15. Anonymous says:

    How many of those Caymanians are BORN Caymanians?

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    • Anonymous says:

      A question which matters if you are a bigot.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Hater

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      • Reid says:

        CNS, whose side are you on? You shouldn’t tolerate comments like this one. THIS IS A QUESTION THAT MATTERS TO CAYMANIANS

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        • Anonymous says:

          This comment shows how ingrained Driftwood Bigotry really is to that portion of the community which includes ‘Reid’. That mindset shows how sick those like ‘Reid’ are, who see calling out discrimination against Caymanians, and they are Caymanians, who may not have been born in the Cayman Islands as being intolerable to them. What a disgusting way to be.

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        • Jotnar says:

          CNS possibly following the law, passed by not only born Caymanians, but ones meeting even stricter restrictions than simple status before they can be an MLA . You either have status or you don’t. You can b multi generational, you can be first generation, but Under Cayman law it doesn’t matter.

    • Anonymous says:

      In the Brac, a Honduran born in Honduras to Caymanian father nearly 70 years ago, comes here for the first time, a few (maybe 3) years ago and they gave him a free house to live in and all the Seamen benefits, if he even went to sea, he did NOT send one cent here when these islands depended on the Seamen money sent home,so why, why, why, he is getting it?

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    • Anonymous says:

      It doesn’t matter when they are all taxable!

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    • Anonymous says:

      How many of those Caymanians are even Caymanians. Hundreds are not, but the ESO refuses to make that clear.

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      • Norman's voice says:

        How many of the Caymanians are Caymanian? The Census of 1802 showed the population of Cayman to be 933 with 545 of those inhabitants being slaves (brought here against their will).

        933! That’s only 215 years ago!

        The population in 1950 was around 6,400. From the early days to present, people come and people go. Let’s face it, this is a country with a very short history.

        Those stats tell you that of the 34,116 “Caymanians” currently living here, MOST are either new to the country or have some expat relatives in their family.

        Whether you want to admit it or not, even if one claims to be “indigenous” to this island, your family roots here are not deep. One or both of your parents or grandparents or great grandparents or perhaps (for the few) even great, great grandparents were expats! I wonder if they experienced the hatred that modern day expats are facing today from so-called “indigenous Caymanians”.

        So I ask you, how clear should the ESO be in determining who really is Caymanian?

        Stop the hatred! Why don’t we all start trying to find constructive solutions instead of trying to start some type of civil war.

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        • Anonymous says:

          The ESO asks people if they are Caymanian or not, and accepts their answer. Many people who are born in Cayyman and have Cayman passports, or who have come to Cayman, believe they are Caymanian but are not. Because of this the ESO’s definition of who is Caymanian is wrong, and may create a misleading impression.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    Can’t wait for the “we’re going extinct” melodrama and whine.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Being replaced by Mac’s status grant economic dependants rapid multiplication.

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      • Anonymous says:

        It was more than Mac that gave status , PPM gave and others gave plenty too.

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        • Anonymous says:

          You are absolutely right. PPM gave up to 12 per year and Mac gave 2,000++ In one shot. Everybody is to blame.

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          • Anonymous says:

            Mac gave 2850. The PPM let them keep it and then let 6000 more take it through them. We are so screwed.

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            • Anonymous says:

              And PPM still giving it away. The PR crisis is a joke, it is actually PPM’s “Caymanian” manufacturing scheme disguised as a crisis but shhhh, they don’t want Caymanians to know lest they revolt. The 2003 mass grants, end of Cayman as we knew it, seems so small scale next to what the PPM has done and continues to do to water down our identity to nothing. Gee, thanks for that.

    • Anonymous says:

      Mate next time your stuck in traffic, why don’t you keep a zen smile and remind yourself “this is what I wanted!”.

      We seem to think MORE is always good. Why? uh..hmm. because MORE is better than LESS? Once we reach 100k, 200k will be the next target? Then what? $250k? After that?

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  17. Anonymous says:

    Just about to reduce substantially in numbers…not just the 2000 workers quitting but their families too, so maybe about 5-6000? Rents will fall, property prices too, and shops will need less workers, cleaners will not be needed, gardeners not needed, all meaning, you guessed, less jobs for locals. Ah, the joys of bad policy decisions.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Now That’s Caymanian! Making plans with no foresight! Its like taking a skiff out on the high seas without being fully safety equipped; but doing it just cause your fore fathers sailed on a boat! thoughtless

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      • Anon E. Mus says:

        1:11 pm .. There’s nothing about your post that I don’t love. I’ve said that time and time again…. a HUGE lack of foresight is and will be our downfall. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it they say ???

    • Anonymous says:

      But basic neanderthal economics wins votes even if it is a bad idea.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I say bring it on – if it is true.

      America is building walls, deporting 800,000 born Americans, and implementing Muslim bans.
      The UK is Brexit-ing.

      Both nations are doing these things in the face of stark warnings of economic ruin and future societal instability.

      Cayman will be just fine. The currently resident naysayers can go fly a damn kite – and take the yellow-livered native Caymanians for the ride.

      Every last one of you is irreplaceable.

      Wish you all nothing but the best though – in whatever inferior jurisdiction you end up.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Yea and pretty soon America will be invading NK for WMD”s, oh wait! NK doesn’t have any oil for the west to take. That means no invasion.

        What good are implementing travel bans to a country nobody wants to go eh?

        Anyone can be replaced, but it’s easier to replace dummies like you!

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        • Anonymous says:

          3 ;46 am, you dummy, the travel bans are for people wanting to come to the U. S. A. ,not the other way around, also that goes for the Caymanian Islands.

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      • Anonymous says:

        thats called every country doing whats best for them. and Cayman?

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      • Anonymous says:

        Deport some of your own psuedo caymanian voters dont bring America into it.Worry about having to deport all those US dollars from the tax evaders. Brace yourselves, that senario is on the Don,s radar.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Difference is people come early to America can’t speak English don’t work and get government benefits people that come to cayman work and contribute to your economy your island couldn’t build the roads and the building GSM without expats you don’t have the man power

  18. Expat Exodus says:

    aaaaand they’re gone!

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    • Anonymous says:

      When these Islands in eighties/nineties had 30 thosands people, we was 100% better off then than now, check it out. It was less crime ,less un-employment, less people losing their homes, less trafficc jams, etc,etc, and we were much more happy.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Bring back the Holiday Inn over the Ritz any day. It is both literally and figuratively a crime what has been done to Cayman and Caymanians.

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      • Chris Johnson says:

        Absolutely dead right. A lot more fun and money did not matter as we had none. We partied, played sport including football without bribes etc. We spoke to each other, Caymanians , Jamaicans, you name them. We were civil and the politicians were not too bad.

        We could walk anywhere around the island, and did, without fear. Absolutely brilliant days.

        Where did it go wrong.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Chris, it went wrong when the education system turned away from North American and European standards, when foreign developers were allowed to do all the wanted seemingly no matter the law, when foreign kids were kicked out of local schools, when the community stopped mixing together, when the immigration law stopped being enforced to ensure mentorship of Caymanians, when we imported thousands of impoverished from around the region, and when we started paying politicians.

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        • Anonymous says:

          They sold Paradise Chris!

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        • Anonymous says:

          It all went wrong when you didnt get behind the people who saw this all coming. Ray Charles could see it. Can you now see that it is too late.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Politrix

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