Population down in line with forecast decline

Thursday 26 July 2018

Guernsey's population has fallen again according to the most recent statistics which is in line with a wider projection which said the population will fall considerably by 2065.

The Quarterly Population, Employment and Earnings bulletin which the States puts together said there were 62,432 people living in the island at the end of September 2017, which is the most recent data available.

That puts the population just 14 fewer than three months previously and fairly static compared to the previous two year's statistics. However, the population is forecast to increase to a maximum of 64,000 people by 2034 before falling to 59,000 by 2065.

Of the current population, there was a natural increase of - 75 people in the year up to September 2017 with net migration of 81 people over the year ending last September. During the year to the end of June 2017, the population decreased by 0.17% or 107 people, with a natural increase of - 48 people and a net migration of - 59.

In all the population statistics gathered quarterly suggest population is continuing on its downward trend.

Pictured: The latest population statistics released by the States of Guernsey

More recent statistics available for the employed population show that at the end of March 2018, more than 31,000 people in Guernsey were either employed or self-employed.

The majority of them were aged between 16 and 64, but 768 people, or 2.5% were aged between 65 and 84 years.

Of the 27,218 employed people aged 16 to 64 at the end of March 2018, 49% were female and 50% were male. This compares to 731 self-employed females and 2,345 males.

The largest employing industry in the island remains finance. 

Of those employed or self employed in Guernsey, the median earnings at the end of March 2018 were £32, 360 which was 1.8% higher than a year earlier in nominal terms but 0.2% lower in real terms.