Saint Lucia's population is predominantly of African and mixed African-European descent, with small East Indian and European minorities. English is the official language, although many St. Lucians speak a French patois. Ninety percent of the population is Roman Catholic, a further reflection of early French influence on the island. The population of just over 147,000 is evenly divided between urban and rural areas, although the capital, Castries, contains more than one-third of the population. Despite a high emigration rate, the population is growing rapidly, about 5.4% per year.

Demographics of Saint Lucia, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population: 156,260 (July 2000 est.) Image File history File links Saint_Lucia_demography. ... Image File history File links Saint_Lucia_demography. ... Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations programs seek to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living; to improve the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of food and agricultural products; to promote rural development; and, by these means, to eliminate hunger. ...

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 26,087; female 25,159)
15-64 years: 62% (male 47,420; female 49,290)
65 years and over: 5% (male 3,113; female 5,191) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.21% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 22.19 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 5.43 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death is the cessation of physical life in a living organism, or the state of the organism after that event. ...

Net migration rate: -4.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Migration occurs when living things move from one biome to another. ...

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 15.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) For early system failures, see failure rate. ...

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.31 years
male: 68.74 years
female: 76.14 years (2000 est.) Life expectancy is the average number of years remaining for a living being (or the average for a class of living beings) of a given age to live. ...

Total fertility rate: 2.42 children born/woman (2000 est.) Fertility is the ability of people or animals to produce healthy offspring in abundance. ...

Nationality:
noun: Saint Lucian(s)
adjective: Saint Lucian Nationality is, in English usage, the legal relationship between a person and a country. ...

Ethnic groups: black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 7%, Anglican 3% The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ...

Languages: English (official), French patois The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 67%
male: 65%
female: 69% (1980 est.) Literacy is the ability to read and write. ...