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Countries / Saint Helena

Population state · Sustained decline

Saint Helena

Africa · Western Africa · SHN · SH

Saint Helena's population reached its series maximum in 1987. The current run began in 2016.

SMALL POPULATION · Full population counts are shown; ratios with unstable small bases are suppressed.
Population state
Sustained decline
current run since 2016 · projected 2024
Fertility
1.64
94 of 237 with a TFR, lowest first
World population rank
232
of 237
Regional population rank
58
of 58 in Africa
Population
5,237
Annual change
−43
59th-largest annual loss in the recordsmall absolute movement
Natural change
−51
Migrant share
9.4%
Peak population · 1987 Deaths exceed births · since 2006 Working-age peak · 1990 Support ratio · suppressed
ANNUAL COMPONENTS · 2024 PROJECTED

What drives population change?

Births and deaths set natural change. Net migration can reinforce, reduce, or reverse that direction.

Migration contribution Reduces decline

Positive net migration slows natural decline without reversing it.

Saint Helena, 2024 projected: natural change −51 people, net migration +4, WPP adjustment +4, total population change −43. Positive net migration slows natural decline without reversing it.

Exact reconciliation: WPP includes a +4-person statistical adjustment. Figures are rounded to whole people.

SOURCE · UN WPP 2024 CHECKS PASSED · DETAILS⌄
Releasewpp2024
RevisionPOP/DB/WPP/Rev.2024/GEN/F01/Rev.1
Vintage2024 Revision, Online Edition
Retrieved2026-06-25T11:25:03+00:00
LicenceCC BY 3.0 IGO
Formulathousands-to-people-v1 · migration-contribution-v1
Transformsite/src/lib/migration-contribution.ts
Raw file SHA-25698e34d9b65b53858cd08a57a566e45050b08093ad85ba5714fe6fbd78055ae6d
Measurement universeOne canonical country or area; annual natural change, net migration, WPP adjustment, and total population change use the same source row.
Reference time2024 projected annual components; estimates run through 2023.
UnitPeople per year.
Evidence status2024 WPP medium-variant projection.
SUSTAINED DECLINE · STATE-SPECIFIC EVIDENCE

Decline over time

9 source years · since 2016 Tied rank 20 of 29 by streak duration Duration, not severity
CARD 01 · ANNUAL TOTAL POPULATION CHANGE

Annual change through the streak

Each bar is one year’s total population change. View the same evidence as a share of that year’s population or as a count of people.

Births, deaths, net migration, and WPP adjustments are included.
−0.82%
2016–2024 · 9 source years Loss rate is steeper than at the start
Annual change bar chart
Observed through 2023 2024 projected

One discrete bar for each source year from 2016 through 2024. The chart includes total population change from births, deaths, net migration, and WPP adjustments; observed and projected rows are distinguished.

Annual total population change for Saint Helena, 2016 to 2024
YearEvidencePercent of populationPeople
2016observed−0.33%−18
2017observed−0.25%−14
2018observed−0.46%−25
2019observed−0.38%−21
2020observed−0.66%−36
2021observed−0.82%−44
2022observed−0.94%−50
2023observed−1.12%−59
2024projected−0.82%−43
First year−0.33%
Least negative−0.25% · 2017
Most negative−1.12% · 2023
2024−0.82%
CARD 02 · LITERAL SERIES MAXIMUM

Population below peak

Peak population minus the 2024 population, shown in people and as a share of the peak.

21.8%
1,462 people below peak
Population from peak line chart
Observed through 2023 2024 projected Focused scale · peak = 100

Annual total population from the literal series maximum in 1987 through 2024, indexed so the peak equals 100. The focused scale shows the stock path while exact annual populations remain in the table.

Annual total population from the literal peak through 2024
YearEvidencePopulation
1987observed6,699
1988observed6,686
1989observed6,655
1990observed6,617
1991observed6,572
1992observed6,524
1993observed6,473
1994observed6,412
1995observed6,348
1996observed6,287
1997observed6,224
1998observed6,159
1999observed6,090
2000observed6,016
2001observed5,938
2002observed5,850
2003observed5,753
2004observed5,651
2005observed5,543
2006observed5,433
2007observed5,322
2008observed5,272
2009observed5,296
2010observed5,329
2011observed5,364
2012observed5,403
2013observed5,435
2014observed5,466
2015observed5,505
2016observed5,517
2017observed5,501
2018observed5,481
2019observed5,458
2020observed5,430
2021observed5,390
2022observed5,343
2023observed5,289
2024projected5,237
Peak population · 1987
6,699
2024 population
5,237

From 6,699 people in 1987 to 5,237 in 2024. The endpoint is projected; the peak year is the literal maximum in the WPP series.

SOURCE · UN WPP 2024 CHECKS PASSED · DETAILS⌄
Releasewpp2024
RevisionPOP/DB/WPP/Rev.2024/GEN/F01/Rev.1
Vintage2024 Revision, Online Edition
Retrieved2026-06-25T11:25:03+00:00
LicenceCC BY 3.0 IGO
Formulaannual-total-change-rate-v1 · population-below-peak-v1 · population-from-peak-v1 · sustained-decline-streak-rank-v1
Transformsite/src/lib/sustained-decline-profile.ts
Raw file SHA-25698e34d9b65b53858cd08a57a566e45050b08093ad85ba5714fe6fbd78055ae6d
Measurement universeDe facto population: all residents in the country or area, regardless of legal status or citizenship; streak rank compares the 29 canonical sustained-decline members only.
Reference timeAnnual source rows from 2016 through 2024; estimates through 2023, then medium-variant projection.
UnitWhole people and annual total change as a percentage of same-year population; the population-path chart indexes the literal peak to 100 while retaining exact annual counts.
Evidence statusprojected 2024 endpoint; observed/projected status is retained for every chart row.
AGE STRUCTURE · 2023
PROJECTED PATH · WPP 2024 MEDIUM VARIANT
YearPopulationAnnual changeFertility
20245,237−431.64
20503,968−501.63
20803,017−161.63
21002,635−161.64

Values after 2023 are medium-variant projections, not forecasts.

AGE BALANCE · 1950–2100

Youth and older population

Annual share of the population aged under 18 and aged 65+. The crossing shows when the older group first becomes larger in the annual source series.

First annual crossover
2010 · observed
Rule
65+ strictly exceeds under 18

Saint Helena annual age balance from 1950 to 2100. Under-18 population moves from 48.4% in 1950 to 16.6% in 2023 and 15.6% in the 2100 projection. Population aged 65 and older moves from 8.5% to 26.3% and 33.2%. First annual crossover: 2010 · observed. Estimates run through 2023 and WPP Medium projections begin in 2024.

Youth and older population in Saint Helena, 1950 to 2100 Saint Helena annual age balance from 1950 to 2100. Under-18 population moves from 48.4% in 1950 to 16.6% in 2023 and 15.6% in the 2100 projection. Population aged 65 and older moves from 8.5% to 26.3% and 33.2%. First annual crossover: 2010 · observed. Estimates run through 2023 and WPP Medium projections begin in 2024. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 1950 1975 2000 2023 2050 2075 2100 ESTIMATES · THROUGH 2023 WPP MEDIUM PROJECTION UNDER 18 · 15.6% 65+ · 33.2%
1950
Under 18 · 48.4%65+ · 8.5%
2023 observed
Under 18 · 16.6%65+ · 26.3%
2100 projected
Under 18 · 15.6%65+ · 33.2%
Annual evidence · 151 source rows
Saint Helena under-18 and 65+ population history
YearEvidenceUnder 18Share65+Share
1950 observed 2,532 48.4% 444 8.5%
1951 observed 2,561 48.5% 427 8.1%
1952 observed 2,582 48.6% 411 7.7%
1953 observed 2,597 48.9% 402 7.6%
1954 observed 2,616 49.2% 397 7.5%
1955 observed 2,627 49.5% 400 7.5%
1956 observed 2,630 49.7% 405 7.6%
1957 observed 2,610 49.2% 405 7.6%
1958 observed 2,576 48.5% 405 7.6%
1959 observed 2,545 47.7% 403 7.5%
1960 observed 2,512 46.8% 409 7.6%
1961 observed 2,480 46.0% 415 7.7%
1962 observed 2,466 45.7% 416 7.7%
1963 observed 2,463 45.3% 419 7.7%
1964 observed 2,474 45.2% 435 8.0%
1965 observed 2,485 45.4% 447 8.2%
1966 observed 2,499 45.4% 462 8.4%
1967 observed 2,499 45.0% 479 8.6%
1968 observed 2,505 44.5% 494 8.8%
1969 observed 2,509 44.0% 501 8.8%
1970 observed 2,518 43.6% 508 8.8%
1971 observed 2,536 43.2% 524 8.9%
1972 observed 2,558 43.2% 524 8.8%
1973 observed 2,592 43.2% 528 8.8%
1974 observed 2,620 43.2% 537 8.9%
1975 observed 2,639 43.0% 540 8.8%
1976 observed 2,620 42.5% 546 8.9%
1977 observed 2,590 41.6% 555 8.9%
1978 observed 2,558 40.7% 562 8.9%
1979 observed 2,527 39.9% 567 8.9%
1980 observed 2,494 39.0% 581 9.1%
1981 observed 2,475 38.4% 588 9.1%
1982 observed 2,470 37.9% 592 9.1%
1983 observed 2,480 37.7% 588 8.9%
1984 observed 2,475 37.4% 597 9.0%
1985 observed 2,442 36.7% 598 9.0%
1986 observed 2,394 35.9% 595 8.9%
1987 observed 2,335 34.8% 606 9.0%
1988 observed 2,233 33.4% 607 9.1%
1989 observed 2,140 32.2% 596 9.0%
1990 observed 2,057 31.1% 588 8.9%
1991 observed 1,986 30.2% 597 9.1%
1992 observed 1,933 29.7% 601 9.2%
1993 observed 1,885 29.1% 605 9.4%
1994 observed 1,829 28.5% 613 9.6%
1995 observed 1,802 28.4% 619 9.8%
1996 observed 1,778 28.3% 622 9.9%
1997 observed 1,750 28.1% 640 10.3%
1998 observed 1,695 27.5% 650 10.6%
1999 observed 1,594 26.2% 661 10.8%
2000 observed 1,474 24.5% 679 11.3%
2001 observed 1,377 23.2% 704 11.9%
2002 observed 1,306 22.3% 722 12.3%
2003 observed 1,243 21.6% 742 12.9%
2004 observed 1,190 21.1% 761 13.5%
2005 observed 1,156 20.9% 782 14.1%
2006 observed 1,120 20.6% 804 14.8%
2007 observed 1,064 20.0% 850 16.0%
2008 observed 1,019 19.3% 898 17.0%
2009 observed 972 18.3% 939 17.7%
2010 observed 927 17.4% 974 18.3%
2011 observed 909 16.9% 1,001 18.7%
2012 observed 913 16.9% 1,036 19.2%
2013 observed 905 16.7% 1,064 19.6%
2014 observed 901 16.5% 1,092 20.0%
2015 observed 911 16.6% 1,137 20.7%
2016 observed 918 16.6% 1,180 21.4%
2017 observed 910 16.6% 1,234 22.4%
2018 observed 900 16.4% 1,279 23.3%
2019 observed 891 16.3% 1,299 23.8%
2020 observed 889 16.4% 1,334 24.6%
2021 observed 889 16.5% 1,364 25.4%
2022 observed 887 16.6% 1,384 26.0%
2023 observed 876 16.6% 1,392 26.3%
2024 projected 867 16.6% 1,410 27.0%
2025 projected 857 16.5% 1,448 27.9%
2026 projected 843 16.4% 1,449 28.2%
2027 projected 824 16.2% 1,456 28.6%
2028 projected 804 16.0% 1,473 29.3%
2029 projected 782 15.7% 1,484 29.8%
2030 projected 763 15.5% 1,494 30.3%
2031 projected 748 15.4% 1,474 30.3%
2032 projected 730 15.2% 1,483 30.8%
2033 projected 707 14.8% 1,496 31.4%
2034 projected 687 14.6% 1,503 31.9%
2035 projected 674 14.5% 1,509 32.4%
2036 projected 666 14.4% 1,516 32.9%
2037 projected 665 14.6% 1,510 33.1%
2038 projected 658 14.6% 1,504 33.3%
2039 projected 651 14.6% 1,485 33.3%
2040 projected 648 14.7% 1,469 33.3%
2041 projected 648 14.8% 1,462 33.5%
2042 projected 649 15.0% 1,440 33.3%
2043 projected 651 15.2% 1,409 32.9%
2044 projected 649 15.3% 1,380 32.6%
2045 projected 652 15.6% 1,345 32.2%
2046 projected 653 15.8% 1,322 32.0%
2047 projected 654 16.0% 1,314 32.1%
2048 projected 655 16.2% 1,314 32.4%
2049 projected 654 16.3% 1,305 32.5%
2050 projected 653 16.5% 1,271 32.1%
2051 projected 653 16.6% 1,257 32.0%
2052 projected 649 16.7% 1,224 31.6%
2053 projected 646 16.8% 1,195 31.2%
2054 projected 640 16.9% 1,184 31.3%
2055 projected 632 16.9% 1,177 31.4%
2056 projected 624 16.8% 1,161 31.3%
2057 projected 615 16.8% 1,162 31.7%
2058 projected 606 16.7% 1,161 32.0%
2059 projected 593 16.6% 1,129 31.6%
2060 projected 584 16.5% 1,113 31.4%
2061 projected 573 16.4% 1,097 31.3%
2062 projected 564 16.3% 1,085 31.3%
2063 projected 555 16.2% 1,060 30.9%
2064 projected 545 16.0% 1,034 30.4%
2065 projected 534 15.8% 1,033 30.6%
2066 projected 527 15.8% 1,019 30.5%
2067 projected 520 15.7% 1,004 30.4%
2068 projected 515 15.7% 996 30.3%
2069 projected 512 15.7% 982 30.2%
2070 projected 509 15.8% 975 30.2%
2071 projected 507 15.8% 972 30.3%
2072 projected 505 15.9% 968 30.4%
2073 projected 504 16.0% 968 30.6%
2074 projected 504 16.1% 967 30.8%
2075 projected 504 16.1% 971 31.1%
2076 projected 501 16.2% 969 31.3%
2077 projected 499 16.3% 972 31.7%
2078 projected 498 16.3% 983 32.2%
2079 projected 498 16.5% 978 32.3%
2080 projected 497 16.5% 991 32.9%
2081 projected 497 16.6% 994 33.2%
2082 projected 493 16.6% 994 33.5%
2083 projected 491 16.6% 992 33.6%
2084 projected 488 16.6% 987 33.7%
2085 projected 484 16.6% 978 33.6%
2086 projected 481 16.6% 975 33.7%
2087 projected 477 16.6% 973 33.8%
2088 projected 472 16.5% 965 33.8%
2089 projected 467 16.5% 959 33.9%
2090 projected 463 16.4% 957 33.9%
2091 projected 458 16.4% 942 33.7%
2092 projected 451 16.3% 931 33.6%
2093 projected 444 16.1% 924 33.6%
2094 projected 436 15.9% 918 33.6%
2095 projected 429 15.8% 911 33.5%
2096 projected 425 15.7% 898 33.2%
2097 projected 423 15.7% 894 33.2%
2098 projected 419 15.7% 888 33.2%
2099 projected 413 15.5% 884 33.3%
2100 projected 410 15.6% 873 33.2%
SOURCE · UN WPP 2024 · SINGLE-AGE POPULATION CHECKS PASSED · DETAILS⌄
Releasewpp2024
RevisionPOP/DB/WPP/Rev.2024/GEN/F01/Rev.1
Vintage2024 Revision, Online Edition
Retrieved2026-06-25T11:25:03+00:00
LicenceCC BY 3.0 IGO
Formulaunder18-vs-65plus-annual-history-v1
Transformpipeline.derive.age_structure_history
Raw file SHA-2566de949eb0d6bf3277959da88c7591c608ad5fd995a17b4f120c11245a351dfb1 · d9c962d7e0beb731d3450cfabba8499a1449411e3c8aec3aeced06a7a2955b6e
Measurement universeall 237 WPP country and area records in the canonical Register
Reference time1950–2023 estimates; 2024–2100 WPP Medium projection
UnitPeople and percentage of same-year single-age population.
Evidence statusAnnual estimates through 2023; WPP Medium projection thereafter. No interpolation.
Download image card Compare Saint Helena with…
SOURCE · UN WPP 2024 CHECKS PASSED · DETAILS⌄
Releasewpp2024
RevisionPOP/DB/WPP/Rev.2024/GEN/F01/Rev.1
Vintage2024 Revision, Online Edition
Retrieved2026-06-25T11:25:03+00:00
LicenceCC BY 3.0 IGO
Formulathousands-to-people-v1
Transformreproducible canonical pipeline
Measurement universeDe facto population: all residents in the country or area, regardless of legal status or citizenship.
Reference timePopulation is measured at 1 July 2024; annual flows cover the source year.
UnitPeople; the source workbook's thousands are converted to whole people for display.
Evidence status2024 medium-variant projection; estimates run through 2023.