Trinidad and Tobago has two official-looking population figures for the same date, and they are 143,391 people apart. The Central Statistical Office (CSO) puts the mid-2025 population at 1,367,764. The United Nations puts it at 1,511,155. The gap is 10.5% of the CSO figure, more than twice the population of Tobago, and it matters because the two sources also tell different stories about age. The CSO’s published age breakdown for 2025 shows no aging at all. The UN-based estimates show a markedly older population.
The reason for the first result is arithmetic, and it can be checked. Every age-and-sex group in the CSO’s 30 June 2025 estimate is 2.99% larger than the same group in the 2011 census, to within rounding. A uniform increase across all groups cannot register a change in age structure, which suggests the CSO has scaled the 2011 distribution up to the new total rather than re-estimating it. This article uses the CSO as the primary source for what it publishes, says clearly where that source cannot answer the question, and uses UN-based estimates to measure the structural change that the national tables do not show.
Trinidad and Tobago Population at a Glance
| Metric | CSO (national) | UN-based | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,367,764 | 1,511,155 | Mid-2025 |
| Last census | 1,328,019 | n/a | 2011 |
| Change since 2011 census | +39,745 (+3.0%) | +183,136 (+13.8%) | 2025 |
| Male / female | 686,246 / 681,518 | 746,520 / 764,635 | 2025 |
| Aged 0 to 14 | 281,597 (20.6%) | ~17.5% (derived) | 2025 |
| Aged 15 to 64 | 963,579 (70.4%) | 69.6% | 2025 |
| Aged 65 and over | 122,587 (9.0%) | 12.9% | 2025 |
| Median age | n/a | 37.7 years | 2025 |
| Total fertility rate | n/a | 1.52 (1.63 in a 2024 national-based estimate) | 2024 to 2025 |
| Life expectancy | n/a | 73.7 years | 2025 |
| Urban share | n/a | 49.1% | 2025 |
The two series start from the same place. The UN’s 2012 revision put the 2010 population at 1,328,000, matching the 2011 census count of 1,328,019. Since then the UN-based series has added 183,136 people, while the CSO’s has added 39,745.
Neither source explains the difference in the material retrieved for this article, and the most recent census retrieved is 2011, so there is no recent count against which either can be checked. The UN-based figure may reflect modeled migration, including the arrival of Venezuelans, but that is an inference, not a documented cause.
How Trinidad and Tobago’s Population Structure Has Changed
Over the long run the change is clear. The population was about 646,000 in 1950 according to the UN’s 2012 revision, and the UN’s current series puts it at 1,513,268 in 2026, more than twice as large. The median age tells the aging story more directly: it was 21.6 in 1980, 24.1 in 1990, 28.1 in 2000 and 32.6 in 2011, and UN-based estimates place it at 37.7 in 2025.
| Year | Median Age | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 21.6 | n/a | Census-based estimates |
| 1990 | 24.1 | +2.5 | Census-based estimates |
| 2000 | 28.1 | +4.0 | Census-based estimates |
| 2011 | 32.6 | +4.5 | 2011 census |
| 2025 | 37.7 | +5.1 | UN-based estimate |
The median age has risen by 16.1 years in 45 years. The 2011 census recorded an ethnic composition of 35.4% Indian, 34.2% African, 23.0% mixed, 1.3% other and 6.2% unspecified, and those are the most recent ethnic figures retrieved.
The Changing Balance Between Young, Working Age and Older People
The share of people aged 65 or older is the clearest place where sources diverge. The same measure is reported at 9.0%, 12.9% and 14.1% depending on the source.
| Source | Under 15 | 15 to 64 | 65 and Over | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UN WPP 2012 revision | 20.7% | 71.0% | 8.3% | 2010 |
| CSO census | 20.59% | 70.45% | 8.96% | 2011 |
| CSO mid-year estimate | 20.6% | 70.4% | 9.0% | 2025 |
| UN-based (PopulationPyramids) | ~17.5% (derived) | 69.6% | 12.9% | 2025 |
| National-based estimate (CIA data) | ~18.7% (derived) | 67.2% | 14.1% | 2024 |
The CSO’s 2025 shares match its 2011 census shares to within 0.1 percentage point, because every group was scaled by the same factor. The UN-based and CIA-based figures show 65-plus shares of 12.9% and 14.1%, and under-15 shares falling by about two to three points.
On the UN-based figure, the number of people aged 65 and over is about 195,000, against 122,587 on the CSO’s, and the supporting ratio of people aged 15 to 64 for each person aged 65 or over has fallen from 7.9 in 2011 to about 5.4 (derived). The same measure on the CSO figures is still 7.9, which is the 2011 value.
| Support Measure (derived) | 2011 Census | 2025 CSO | 2025 UN-Based |
|---|---|---|---|
| People aged 15 to 64 per person aged 65+ | 7.9 | 7.9 | ~5.4 |
| Dependents (under 15 and 65+) per 100 working-age | ~41.9 | ~42.0 | ~43.7 |
The total dependency ratio changes little on the UN-based figures, because falling child numbers offset a rising older population. That is the favorable phase of a demographic transition, and it has a limited horizon: children are a shrinking part of the burden, while the older share is growing.
Fertility and Birth Trends
Fertility is well below replacement. The UN-based figure was 1.52 children per woman in 2025 and 1.54 in 2024, and a 2024 national-based estimate gave 1.63. Other compilations are somewhat higher, so the figure should be treated as roughly 1.5 to 1.7. Births and deaths are close: the UN-based estimate for 2025 is 15,536 births and 13,530 deaths, a natural increase of only 2,006 people. Crude rates were 10.3 births and 9.0 deaths per 1,000 residents.
Because deaths are rising with age while births are falling, natural increase is close to zero. A 2024 national-based estimate gave a birth rate of 10.5 and a death rate of 8.6 per 1,000, a similar picture. The CSO’s own vital statistics tables were not retrieved for this article and should be added before publication if a primary-source fertility series is required.
Life Expectancy and Aging
UN-based life expectancy is 73.7 years in 2025. Longer lives and fewer births push the median age upward in the same way. On the UN-based figures, the number of residents aged 65 or older is around 195,000, which would be 64% above the 119,024 recorded in the 2011 census. The CSO’s estimate for 2025, 122,587, is only 3% above the 2011 count, which is hard to reconcile with a median age that rose by five years over the same period. The older-population figure is therefore the item to check first against the next census.
Migration and Population Change
Migration estimates disagree even in sign. The UN-based figures show net migration of positive 691 in 2025 and positive 1,334 in 2024, while a 2024 national-based estimate gives negative 0.9 per 1,000, roughly negative 1,350 people. Historical commentary notes that emigration has continued, at a lower rate than in earlier decades, even as the birth rate fell to levels typical of industrialized countries.
The best-documented movement is from Venezuela. About 35,300 Venezuelan refugees and asylum seekers were registered in December 2022, and about 44,800 Venezuelan migrants, refugees and asylum seekers lived in the country in November 2023, the highest per-capita Venezuelan population in the Caribbean. That is about 3% of residents on the UN-based population.
Children are a substantial share of those registered with UNHCR. Because this group is large relative to natural increase of about 2,000 a year, it is the plausible driver of the UN-based series’ positive net migration, though the sources do not say so directly.
Trinidad Compared With Tobago
The 2011 census counted 1,267,145 people on Trinidad and, by subtraction from the national total, 60,874 on Tobago, or 4.6% of the population. The country’s two islands therefore function as one demographic unit with a very small second member. The tables retrieved for this article give national figures only, so differences in age structure, fertility and migration between the islands cannot be reported here. Tobago-specific estimates, which are published separately, are the data gap most worth filling before publication.
Urbanization and Population Distribution
UN-based estimates put 49.1% of the population in urban areas in 2025, or about 741,616 people, a share that has been stable for several years. Settlement is concentrated along the east-west corridor of Trinidad. Urban agglomeration estimates for 2025 are 478,107 for Port of Spain, 115,936 for Chaguanas and 96,840 for San Fernando, and Chaguanas is listed as the largest single settlement on Trinidad island, at 83,516. National definitions of urban areas differ from UN ones, so the urban share is best treated as indicative.
| Urban Area (UN-based, 2025) | Population |
|---|---|
| Port of Spain | 478,107 |
| Chaguanas | 115,936 |
| San Fernando | 96,840 |
Economic and Social Implications
The data support three limited conclusions. First, the support ratio of working-age people to older people has fallen from about 7.9 to about 5.4 on UN-based figures, so each older resident is supported by fewer working-age residents, with consequences for pensions and health systems that this article does not quantify.
Second, the working-age share is still high at about 70%, so the economy is not yet facing a shrinking labor force from aging alone. Third, population size itself is uncertain by about 143,000 people, which complicates any per-capita calculation of health, education or housing demand. Sourced figures for pension liabilities, health spending and housing were not retrieved and are not estimated here.
Future Demographic Outlook
The UN’s medium-variant projection has Trinidad and Tobago’s population falling slowly at first and faster later.
| Year | UN Projection | Change From 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,513,268 | n/a |
| 2050 | 1,399,800 | –7.5% |
| 2100 | 898,355 | –40.6% |
Growth is already close to zero, at 0.10% in 2026 on UN figures, and the population is projected to be 113,468 smaller in 2050. These are projections from the UN’s higher base, so on the CSO’s lower base the same percentage declines would imply smaller absolute numbers.
Both aging and fertility are better supported than the headline population: all sources agree that fertility is far below replacement and that the median age is rising. What the next census will have to settle is how many people live in the country and how old they are.
Key Findings
- The CSO’s mid-2025 population estimate (1,367,764) is 143,391 below the UN’s (1,511,155), a gap of 10.5%.
- Every age-and-sex group in the CSO’s 2025 estimate is 2.99% above its 2011 census count, so the CSO’s published age breakdown cannot show aging.
- The 65-plus share is reported as 9.0% (CSO), 12.9% (UN-based) and 14.1% (national-based estimate), implying between about 123,000 and 195,000 older residents.
- The median age has risen from 21.6 in 1980 to 32.6 in 2011 and 37.7 in 2025 (UN-based).
- Fertility is about 1.5 to 1.7 children per woman, and natural increase was only about 2,000 people in 2025 (15,536 births against 13,530 deaths, UN-based).
- About 44,800 Venezuelan migrants, refugees and asylum seekers lived in the country in November 2023, about 3% of residents and the highest per-capita total in the Caribbean.
- The UN projects a decline of 7.5% by 2050 and 40.6% by 2100.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the population of Trinidad and Tobago?
The CSO’s mid-2025 estimate is 1,367,764, and the UN’s is 1,511,155. The last census, in 2011, counted 1,328,019.
2. Is Trinidad and Tobago’s population aging?
Yes, on every source except the CSO’s published age tables. The median age rose from 32.6 in 2011 to 37.7 in 2025 (UN-based), and the 65-plus share is estimated at 12.9% to 14.1%.
3. What is the largest age group?
People aged 15 to 64, at about 70% of the population on both the CSO and UN-based figures. The 15 to 64 group was 963,579 on the CSO’s 2025 estimate.
4. How does Tobago differ demographically from Trinidad?
Tobago had 60,874 residents in the 2011 census, 4.6% of the national total. The sources retrieved do not give separate age or fertility figures for Tobago.
5. Is Trinidad and Tobago’s population growing?
Barely. UN-based growth is 0.10% in 2026, and natural increase was about 2,000 people in 2025. The UN projects a decline to 1,399,800 by 2050.
6. Why do the CSO and UN population figures differ?
The CSO’s estimate is 3.0% above the 2011 census, while the UN-based series is 13.8% above it. The material retrieved does not explain the difference, though modeled migration may account for part of it.
7. What is the fertility rate?
About 1.5 to 1.7 children per woman. UN-based estimates are 1.52 in 2025, and a national-based estimate is 1.63 for 2024. Replacement level is 2.1.
8. How many Venezuelans live in Trinidad and Tobago?
About 44,800 Venezuelan migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in November 2023, up from about 35,300 in December 2022. That is the highest per-capita Venezuelan population in the Caribbean.
9. How long do people live in Trinidad and Tobago?
UN-based life expectancy is 73.7 years in 2025.
10. What will the population be in 2050?
The UN projects 1,399,800, which is 7.5% below the 2026 estimate of 1,513,268, with a further fall to 898,355 by 2100.
Sources
- Central Statistical Office of Trinidad and Tobago, Mid-Year Population Estimates by Age and Sex (30 June 2025) and 2011 Population and Housing Census, Demographic Report
- United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2024 Revision (via Worldometer, StatisticsTimes and PopulationPyramids.org); World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision (2010 estimates)
- ACAPS, Trinidad and Tobago country profile (Venezuelan migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, 2022 and 2023)
- Wikipedia, Demographics of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago and Trinidadians and Tobagonians (2011 census figures and 2024 national-based estimates, cross-referenced to CSO)
