Caymanian

Caymanians are the status holders or born citizens of the Cayman Islands.[7] As a British Overseas Territory, citizens of the Cayman Islands will hold British Overseas Territories Citizenship. There is no record of a native people to the Cayman Islands. Most Caymanians are of mixed European and African descent, coming from early British settlers and enslaved people from Africa.[8]

Caymanian
Flag of the Cayman Islands
Total population
c. 81,546[1]
Regions with significant populations
Cayman Islands
United Kingdom3,000+[2]
United States1,000+[3]
Canada800+[4]
Jamaica200+[5]
Religion
Primarily Christianity[6]

Since 21 May 2002, citizens of all the British Overseas Territories became British citizens under a new UK law, granting the people of every BOT, including the Cayman Islands, the right to live, study and work in the UK as a full citizen, as well as receive the same benefits given to British citizens in the UK.[9]

Ethnicities
Ethnic groups of the Cayman Islands[10]
Ethnic groups percent
Mixed
 
 39%
Black
 
 24%
White
 
 22%
South Asian
 
 11%
Other
 
 4%

Most Caymanians are of mixed European and African ancestry. Although slavery occurred in the Cayman Islands, it was not as common in comparison to the rest of the Caribbean, therefore, when it was abolished, European and African residents seemed to integrate faster than other nations, resulting in a more mixed race population. There are also prominent black and white populations, with a sizable South Asian population, mainly made up of immigrants from India and the Philippines.[11]

Languages
Languages spoken at home[6]
Languages percent
English
 
 83.2%
Spanish
 
 10.5%
Tagalog
 
 5.1%
Other
 
 1.2%

English is the official language of the Cayman Islands. A large number of the population also converse in Spanish, as there are many mixed Caymanian families of Latin American origin. Tagalog is also spoken by Filipino-Caymanians and Filipino immigrants.[6]

Religion

Most Caymanians identify as Christians (66.9%), with 25% belonging to no religion. There are also small numbers of Hindus (1.7%), Muslims (0.4%), Rastafarians (0.3%) and those of Jewish faith (0.2%). 5.5% have not specified.[12]

Diaspora

The Caymanian diaspora population is roughly around 4,000, although the true number is not securely documented.[11] Most Caymanians overseas live in the United Kingdom, which would be due to the convenience of being British Overseas Territories citizens; along with many residing in the United States and Canada. It is common for many young Caymanians to travel to these countries for further education. A small number also reside in Jamaica. With its close proximity to the islands, many Caymanian families are of Jamaican origin or have Jamaican family members.[11]

References
  1. Ragoonath, Reshma (1 September 2022). "Cayman's population grows by 10.5% in less than a year".
  2. "Cayman Islands Seek to Engage Their Diaspora". The Networking Institute. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  3. "Caribbean Immigrants in the United States". 12 February 2019.
  4. "Caymanians Immigrating To Canada". 11 April 2022.
  5. "What does it mean to be Jamaican in Cayman? | Loop Jamaica". Loop News.
  6. "Cayman Islands | Culture, History, & People | Britannica". 19 July 2023.
  7. "Our History". www.gov.ky. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  8. History gov.ky
  9. British overseas territories service.gov.uk
  10. Labor force and employment eso.ky
  11. Cayman Islands Census 2021 eso.ky
  12. "Cayman Islands – 2021 Census" (PDF). Economics Office. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.


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