Caymanians are the status holders or born citizens of the Cayman Islands. 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, such as groups like the

Arawak The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Great ...

or Carib people who were native to most of the Caribbean; therefore most Caymanians today 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 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 population, mainly made up of immigrants from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

.Cayman Islands Census 2021
eso.ky

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 Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

(66.9%), with 25% belonging to no religion. There are also small numbers of

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

(1.7%),

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

(0.4%),

Rastafarians Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...

(0.3%) and those of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

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 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, which would be due to the convenience of being British Overseas Territories citizens; along with many residing in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is common for many young Caymanians to travel to these countries for further education. A small number also reside in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. With its close proximity to the islands, many Caymanian families are of Jamaican origin or have Jamaican family members.

References

Cayman Islands {{Caymans-stub