Demographics of the Netherlands Antilles

Demographic features of the population of the former Netherlands Antilles include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects.

Population of the Islands

According to the official estimates of the Central Bureau of Statistics of the Netherlands Antilles, the five islands had a combined population of 211,871 as at 1 January 2013. The population of the individual islands was as follows:

  • Bonaire - 17,408
  • Curaçao - 154,843
  • Saba - 1,991
  • Sint Eustatius - 4,020
  • Sint Maarten - 33,609

For comparison: Aruba - 103,400

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

Population of the Netherlands Antilles in thousands, 1961–2003.

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated. The capital and largest city was Willemstad.

Age structure:

  • 0–14 years: 23,9% (male 27 197; female 25 886)
  • 15–64 years: 67.3% (male 71 622; female 77 710)
  • 65 years and over: 8.7% (male 7 925; female 11 396) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 0,79% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 14,78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 6,45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Human sex ratio:

  • at birth: 1,05 male(s)/female
  • under 15 years: 1,05 male(s)/female
  • 15–64 years: 0,92 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0,7 male(s)/female
  • total population: 0,93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 9,76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

  • total population: 76,03 years
  • male: 73,76 years
  • female: 78,41 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nationality:

  • by law: Dutch (Nederlandse)
  • noun: Netherlands Antillean(s)
  • adjective: Netherlands Antillean

Ethnic groups: mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian 15%

Religions: Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4,9%, Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-day Adventist 3,1%, Methodist 2,9%, other Christian 4,2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1,7%, Jewish 1,3%

Languages: Dutch, English and Papiamento are official languages. Papiamento (a Portuguese-West African creole with Dutch and Spanish influence) predominates on Curaçao and Bonaire, while English is widely spoken. English is the most commonly spoken language on Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius.

Literacy:

  • definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  • total population: 96,7%
  • male: 96,7%
  • female: 96,8% (2003 est.)


  • v
  • t
  • e
  • British West Indies
  • Danish West Indies
  • Dutch Caribbean
    • Caribbean Netherlands
    • Netherlands Antilles
  • French West Indies
  • West Indies Federation
West
Indies
Antilles
Greater
Antilles
Hispaniola
Lesser
Antilles
Leeward
Islands
Saint Martin^
Virgin Islands
Southern
Caribbean
Leeward
Antilles
  • Insular Venezuela
    • Federal Dependencies
    • Nueva Esparta
ABC islands
Windward
Islands
Lucayan
Archipelago
Caribbean
Sea
  • Aves Island
  • San Andrés and Providencia
    • Bajo Nuevo Bank~
    • Serranilla Bank~
Caribbean
continental
zone
  • Quintana Roo
    • Cozumel
Central America
  • Belize
  • Honduras
    • Bay Islands
  • Izabal
  • Limón
  • Corn Islands
  • North Caribbean Coast
  • South Caribbean Coast
  • Panama
South America
  • Colombian Caribbean
  • Venezuelan Caribbean
Wider
groupings
may include:
Yucatán Peninsula
  • Campeche
  • Petén
  • Yucatán
The Guianas
N.B.: Territories in italics are parts of transregional sovereign states or non-sovereign dependencies.

^These three form the SSS islands that with the ABC islands comprise the Dutch Caribbean, of which *the BES islands are not direct Kingdom constituents but subsumed with the country of the Netherlands.

Physiographically, these continental islands are not part of the volcanic Windward Islands arc, although sometimes grouped with them culturally and politically.

ǂDisputed territories administered by Guyana. ~Disputed territories administered by Colombia.

#Bermuda is an isolated North Atlantic oceanic island, physiographically not part of the Lucayan Archipelago, Antilles, Caribbean Sea nor North American continental nor South American continental islands. It is grouped with the Northern American region, but occasionally also with the Caribbean region culturally.