Demographics of Dominica
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Dominica, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Almost all Dominicans are descendants of African slaves brought in by colonial planters in the 18th century. Dominica is the only island in the eastern Caribbean to retain some of its pre-Columbian population--the Carib Indians--about 3,000 of whom live on the island's east coast.
The population growth rate is very low, due primarily to emigration to more prosperous Caribbean Islands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. English is the official language and universally understood; however, because of historic French domination, Antillean Creole, a French patois, is also widely spoken. About 80% of the population is Catholic. In recent years, a number of Protestant churches have been established.
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Population
71,540 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 29% (male 10,556; female 10,254)
15-64 years: 63% (male 23,151; female 21,984)
65 years and over: 8% (male 2,294; female 3,301) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.08% (2006 est.)
18.27 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate
7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate
-22.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate
17.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 73.35 years
male: 70.5 years
female: 76.36 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.05 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican
Ethnic groups
Black 90%, Mulatto, 8 % Carib Amerindian 2%
Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), none 2%, Buddhist 0.5%, other 6%
English (official), French patois
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94%
male: 94%
female: 94% (1970 est.)