News

How Many People Live in the Caribbean?

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - February 26, 2014

By the Caribbean Journal staff

How many people live in the Caribbean?

It’s a question we’re often asked. And the answer is, well, complicated.

That’s because it depends on what geographical area you define as the Caribbean.

We culled data from a range of sources, using the most recent estimates from 2012 across the region, breaking it up into different sub-regions and then applying it to the various definitions of the Caribbean.

We start with the Caribbean Community, the political bloc of largely English-speaking countries, along with Haiti and Suriname, joined by Guyana, but not by Cuba or the Dominican Republic.

Traditionally, the Caribbean has been considered the island countries within the Caribbean sea, with Cuba to the north and Trinidad and Tobago to the south.

That has come to include the Bahamas, though it is not geographically within the Caribbean, along with Belize, Suriname and Guyana, which are part of the CARICOM economic and political bloc. (This also tends to include French Guyana, a department of France on the northern coast of South America).

The population of that area is just around 44 million people.

When you consider the Caribbean to be all the countries that have any coastline on the Caribbean basin, the definition includes even more countries in South America and Central America, including Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Venezuela.

The population of that area is about 159.22 million people.

Of course, Mexico also has a Caribbean coast, and is geographically part of the region. It also has almost 121 million people.

With Mexico, the number rises to just over 280 million.

As you can see, the answer is a complicated one. But any way you slice it, the Caribbean is a far larger place than people tend to realize.

If you want to define it another way, simply look below for the full data table of regional populations:

Sources: UN and government data. All data as of 2012, excepting St Barth (2011).

Popular Posts ian fleming villa with beach and green trees

American Airlines Begins New Ocho Rios, Jamaica Flights, With a Nod to James Bond 

Ian Fleming began writing the book that would become Casino Royale at his seaside villa in the town of Oracabessa, Jamaica in February 1952.  It was here on the outskirts of Ocho Rios that Fleming would forge the story of […]


A New All-Inclusive W Hotel Is Opening This Year in Punta Cana 

w punta cana

The first-ever all-inclusive W Hotel in the Caribbean is opening this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The hotel, part of a broad expansion for parent company Marriott International, is on the list of expected 2024 […]


Why Grenada Is a New Caribbean Luxury Hotspot

beach house silversands

From its world-renowned chocolate to its pristine beaches to a region-leading focus on sustainability, Grenada is as fascinating and unique as destination as you’ll find in the Caribbean.  But in the last few years, the lush Eastern Caribberan island has […]


Related Posts magazine beach grenada

Caribbean Moment: Magazine Beach, Grenada

Grenada is known for many things: its chocolate, its rum, its lush rainforest, its world-class cuisine. What you may not realize is just how beautiful the island’s beaches are, from its signature Grand Anse Beach to lesser-known coastlines like Magazine […]


Caribbean Photo of the Week: Frederiksted, St Croix

frederiksted st croix

The latest Caribbean Photo comes fro Caribbean Journal reader Eric Schaeffer, who sent in this lovely shot while walking in Frederiksted, St Croix, USVI. Have you taken a great photo in the Caribbean? Send it to news@caribjournal.com with CPOTW in […]


JW Marriott Just Opened Its First Caribbean Beach Resort in St Maarten 

jw marriott st maarten

It was arguably the most high-profile resort on the Dutch side of St Maarten: the Westin Dawn Beach resort, set on one of the most beautiful shorelines on the island and the area’s most famous branded hotel.  Then that unwelcome […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You