Caymanians are the status holders or born citizens of the
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
. As a
British Overseas Territory
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
, 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.
Since 21 May 2002, citizens of all the
British Overseas Territories
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
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.
Ethnicities
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
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...
population, mainly made up of immigrants from
India and the
Philippines.
[https://www.eso.ky/UserFiles/page_docums/files/uploads/cayman_islands_preliminary_census_2021_r.pdf ]
Languages
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.
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.
Diaspora
The Caymanian diaspora population is roughly around 4,000, although the true number is not securely documented.
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 young Caymanians to travel to these countries for further education.
References
Cayman Islands
{{Caymans-stub