TheDemographics of French Guiana are characterized by a young population with 44% below the age of 20 in 2017. The total population stood at 268,700 as of 1 January 2017. The demographic profile is a reflection of the territory's high fertility rates. Regarding nationality, as of 2010, 64.5% of the population had French nationality, while 35.5% were of foreign nationality with significant communities from Suriname, Haiti, and Brazil among others.

According to INSEE the population ofFrench Guiana was 268,700 as of 1 January 2017.^[2] The population is very young: 44% are below the age of 20, while only 1.7% are 75 years or older. The age distribution is a reflection of the high fertility rates of French Guiana.

Thetotal fertility rate in French Guiana has remained high and is today considerably higher than inmetropolitan France, and also higher than the average of theFrench overseas departments. It is largely responsible for the high population growth of French Guiana.^[5][6]

The infant mortality in French Guiana is higher than in metropolitan France:^[7]

• 2007-2009: 12.0
• 2008-2010: 11.6
• 2009-2011: 10.1

At birth,life expectancy is 76.2 years for male children, and 82.8 for female (figures for 2011).^[8]

Estimates of the percentages of French Guiana ethnic composition vary, a situation compounded by the large proportion of immigrants.

Creoles, or Mulattoes (people of mixed African and French ancestry), are the largest ethnic group, though estimates vary as to the exact percentage, depending upon whether the largeHaitian community is included as well. Generally the Creole population is judged to be about 60 to 70% of the total population if Haitians (comprising roughly one-third of Creoles) are included, and 30 to 50% without.

Roughly 41,000 people or 14% of the population of French Guiana is of European ancestry. The vast majority of these are of French heritage, though there are also people ofDutch,British,Spanish andPortuguese ancestry.

The main Asian communities are theChinese (about 3-4%, primarily fromZhejiang province inmainland China and Hong Kong) andHmong^[9] fromLaos (1-2%). There are also smaller groups from variousCaribbean islands, mainlySaint Lucia as well asDominica. Other Asian groups includeEast Indians,Lebanese andVietnamese.

The main groups living in the interior are theMaroons (formerly called "Bush Negroes") who are from African descent, andAmerindians. The Maroons, descendants of escaped African slaves, live primarily along theMaroni River. The main Maroon groups are theSaramaka,Ndyuka (both of whom also live inSuriname), and Boni (Aluku).^[9] The Maroons are the fastest growing ethnic group, and as of 2018 constitute about one-third of the total population with an estimated population of close to 100,000 people.^[10]

The main Amerindian groups (estimated population about 10,000^[9]) are theAparai,Kalina,Lokono,Palikur,Teko,Wayampi andWayana. The estimated population for the beginning of the 17th century was 30,000 people.^[11] Until the middle of the 20th century, there was a sharp decline in population to almost 1,200 people^[12] in 1961 which was mainly caused by European diseases. Improved health care managed to turn the tide.^[11]

On January 1, 2010, 64.5% of the population had French nationality, while 35.5% had a foreign nationality.^[13] Of these, Surinamese (13.8% of the total population), Haitians (8.8%) and Brazilians (8.7%) were the largest groups. Smaller groups included people with nationality of Guyana (1.7%), Colombia (1.0%), China (0.5%), the Dominican Republic (0.4%) and Peru (0.2%).

French andFrench Guianese Creole are the most widely spoken languages. There are also several native languages, includingArawakan (Arawak andPalikúr),Cariban (Carib andWayana), andTupi-Guarani (Emerillon andWayampi) languages.^[14] Other languages spoken includeHakka Chinese andJavanese.^[14]The official language, like for alloverseas departments and territories of France, is French.

The dominant religion of French Guiana is Catholicism; some of the Maroons and Amerindian people maintain their own religions, however large tribes like theKalina,Ndyuka have been Christianized.^[16]

• Demographics of France

• "Langues et cité n° 28 : les langues de Guyane".www.culture.gouv.fr (in French). 2 October 2017.

• Demographics of French Guiana
• Geography of French Guiana
• Demographics of South America
• Demographics of Overseas France

• CS1 French-language sources (fr)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from October 2024