Demographics of Jersey

The demographics of Jersey are the population characteristics of the people of Jersey, the most populated of the crown dependencies and of the Channel Islands, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

The population of Jersey has been grown in each census record since 1931 (although those did not include records during the Occuption by Nazi Germany).

History

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1821	28,600	—
1831	36,582	+27.9%
1841	47,544	+30.0%
1851	57,020	+19.9%
1861	55,613	−2.5%
1871	56,627	+1.8%
1881	52,445	−7.4%
1891	54,518	+4.0%
1901	52,576	−3.6%
1911	51,898	−1.3%
1921	49,701	−4.2%
1931	50,462	+1.5%
1939	51,080	+1.2%
1951	55,244	+8.2%
1961	59,489	+7.7%
1971	69,329	+16.5%
1976	71,018	+2.4%
1981	76,050	+7.1%
1986	80,212	+5.5%
1989	82,809	+3.2%
1991	84,082	+1.5%
1996	85,150	+1.3%
2001	87,186	+2.4%
2011	97,857	+12.2%
2019	107,800	+10.2%
Other estminates 2019 estimate

The resident population of Jersey has been increasing during the last 60 years. The resident population increased by 9,100 between 2010 and 2011. The estimated 2020 growth rate is 0.72%.

Pre-census data, there are a number of estimates for Jersey's population. It was around 2,000 in 4000-3000 BC; 6,000 in 1050; 10,000 in 1331; and between 10,000 and 20,000 in the 16th and 17th centuries.

From the 16th to 19th centuries, Jersey was home to a number of French religious refugees, possibly up to 4,000 at a time. In the first half of the 19th century, tax advantages and a better climate saw a boom in Jersey's population. This also needed a large immigrant population, with significant movement from Scotland and Ireland.

Before 1851 and 1921, Jersey's population fell significantly, but the number of French people rose by more than 3,000. These were mostly agricultural workers (not replacing the British migrants).

From 1821, Jersey conducted an annual census (figures to the right). In 1951, the population was 55,244. It has grown every decade since then, and the rate of growth now is very high (10% per year in 2019). This is due to the growth of the finance industry and tourism.

Population

In 2011, the total resident population of Jersey was 97,857. The latest estimate is 107,800 in 2019, although the CIA World Factbook estminates it as 101,073 (this may be due to a different estimate or could be explained by the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic).

Geographic distribution

Jersey is divided into twelve parishes. The most populous parish is St Helier, with 34% of the island's population.

Population by parish

Parish	2011 population	% of total	Density
Saint Helier	33,522	34	3,541
Grouville	4,866	5	594
Saint Brélade	10,568	11	803
Saint Clement	9,221	9	2,142
Saint John	2,911	3	320
Saint Lawrence	5,418	6	552
Saint Martin	3,763	4	368
Saint Mary	1,752	2	267
Saint Ouen	4,097	4	270
Saint Peter	5,003	5	425
Saint Saviour	13,580	14	1,471
Trinity	3,156	3	253

Age structure

Age and gender of the population

Age	Male	Female	Total
95+	37	150	187
90 - 94	115	368	483
85 - 89	445	779	1224
80 - 84	822	1183	2005
75 - 79	1343	1550	2893
70 - 74	1732	1900	3632
65 - 69	1938	2110	4048
60 - 64	2832	2818	5650
55 - 59	2955	3087	6042
50 - 54	3536	3662	7198
45 - 49	4187	4170	8357
40 - 44	4183	4180	8363
35 - 39	3615	3610	7225
30 - 34	3670	3566	7236
25 - 29	3351	3354	6705
20 - 24	3006	2938	5944
15 - 19	2863	2632	5495
10 - 14	2729	2573	5302
5 - 9	2470	2382	4852
1 - 4	1957	2027	3984
0	509	522	1031

In 2011, there were 64,353 people of working age (16 to 64 for men, and 16 to 59 for women; 66% of the population). The dependency ratio for Jersey was 52% (similar to 2011); the dependency ratio is around the same value as that in 1931, however was higher (60%) in 1971, and lower (47%) in 1991.

Place of birth

Half of the population of Jersey was born on the island, with the majority of the remainder from elsewhere in the British Islands. 7% of the population was born in Portugal, including Madeira, the largest overseas place of birth. In 1981, only 3% of the population was born in Portugal and 5% elsewhere.

Jersey population by place of birth.

Place of birth	Number	Percent
Jersey	48,653	50
British Islesa	30,223	31
Portugal	7,031	7
Poland	3,133	3
Ireland	1,880	2
Other European country	3,146	3
Elsewhere in the world	3,791	4

Of the category 'Other European country', the primary countries were France and Romania and for 'Elsewhere in the world', the primary countries were South Africa and India.

Statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Birth rate

11.0 births/1,000 population (2005)

Death rate

8.5 deaths/1,000 population (2005)

Net immigration rate

2.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.11 male(s)/female
under 15 years:	1.08 male(s)/female
15–64 years:	0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.74 male(s)/female
total population:	0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality

4 deaths/1,000 live births (2005)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.48 years
male: 76.07 years
female: 81.07 years (2000 est.)

Average age at death

• Men 72
• Women 79

Total fertility rate

1.56 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality

noun: Jerseyman, Jerseywoman
adjective: Jersey

Ethnic groups

British and Norman-French descent. Portuguese and Polish minorities.

Religions

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian.

Languages

See Languages of Jersey

English (official), French (official), Jèrriais (unofficial: spoken more commonly in country districts, used as a first language by around 2,600 people). Portuguese commonly found, e.g. notices in telephone boxes, through use by migrant workers.

Literacy

82% of children in state schools achieve their reading targets – the UK average is 90%.

See also

• List of people from Jersey