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Demographics of Guam

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Demographics of Guam
Population pyramid of Guam in 2020
Population169,086 (2022 est.)
Growth rate0.16% (2022 est.)
Birth rate18.56 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate6.03 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy77.5 years
 • male75.07 years
 • female80.08 years
Fertility rate2.78 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate11.46 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate-10.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years27.22%
65 and over9.54%
Sex ratio
Total1.06 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.07 male(s)/female
Under 151.07 male(s)/female
65 and over0.71 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityGuamanian (US Citizens)

The demographics of Guam details an array of demographic statistics relating to the territory of Guam. This includes statistics on population, including the Indigenous population; religious affiliations; language; and immigration. The Demographics of Guam provides an overview of the history of Guam, as well as a depiction of the villages in the United States territory and its populace. The population of Guam, as of July 2021 was 168,801.[1]

The demographics of Guam include the demographic features of the population of Guam, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Population

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While there are no large cities in Guam, the populace resides in villages.[2] The most populated village in Guam is Dededo, with a population of 44,943 in 2010.[1] The Indigenous people of Guam are known as the Chamorro people, and are the largest ethnic group in Guam. This group is categorised as a minority group in the United States territory.[3] The 2021 mean age in the territory of Guam was 31.4 years.[1] Guam is the largest and most populated of the territories in the Mariana Islands.[2]

The population density of Guam is approximately 310 people per square kilometer. The total land area is 544 km2.[1] 94.9% of Guam's population lives in urban regions.[1]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
191011,806—
192013,27512.4%
193018,50939.4%
194022,29020.4%
195059,498166.9%
196067,04412.7%
197084,99626.8%
1980105,97924.7%
1990133,15225.6%
2000154,80516.3%
2010159,3582.9%
2020168,4855.7%

In the 2020 U.S. Census, Guam had a population of 153,836. This was a 3.5 percent decrease from the population of 159,358 in the 2010 census.[4]

Structure of the population

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Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2021) (Including armed forces stationed in the area.):[5]

Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 86 910 81 891 168 801 100
0–4 8 032 7 525 15 557 9.22
5–9 7 973 7 461 15 434 9.14
10–14 7 663 7 088 14 751 8.74
15–19 7 087 6 296 13 383 7.93
20–24 7 342 6 165 13 507 8.00
25–29 6 740 5 916 12 656 7.50
30–34 5 787 5 376 11 163 6.61
35–39 4 866 4 626 9 492 5.62
40–44 4 412 4 372 8 784 5.20
45–49 4 735 4 656 9 391 5.56
50–54 5 245 4 767 10 012 5.93
55–59 5 149 4 792 9 941 5.89
60–64 4 121 3 981 8 102 4.80
65–69 3 121 3 193 6 314 3.74
70–74 2 354 2 558 4 912 2.91
75–79 1 201 1 402 2 603 1.54
80–84 717 1 027 1 744 1.03
85–89 279 525 804 0.48
90–94 75 140 215 0.13
95–99 10 23 33 0.02
100+ 1 2 3 <0.01
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 23 668 22 074 45 742 27.10
15–64 55 484 50 947 106 431 63.05
65+ 7 758 8 870 16 628 9.85

Births and deaths

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[6]

Year Population Live births Deaths Natural increase Crude birth rate Crude death rate TFR
2009 3,391 835 2,556 19.8 4.7 2.72
2010 159,358 3,416 857 2,559 21.4 5.4 3.00
2011 3,298 842 2,456 20.6 5.3 2.86
2012 3,590 883 2,707 22.4 5.5 3.15
2013 3,285 873 2,412 20.5 5.4 2.87
2014 3,395 939 2,456 21.1 5.8 2.96
2015 3,366 985 2,381 20.8 6.1 2.93
2016 3,432 998 2,434 20.6 6.0 3.08
2017 3,297 990 2,317 19.7 5.9 2.97
2018 3,165 1,035 2,130 18.9 6.2 2.85
2019 3,041 1,002 2,039 18.1 6.0 2.74
2020 153,836[7] 2,935 1,167 1,768 17.4 6.9 2.41
2021 2,623 15.5 2.36
2022 2,518 14.9 2.26
2023 2,390 1,184 1,206

Ethnic groups

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Guam is known to be the first island in the Pacific Ocean to be colonized by Europeans, discovered by the Spaniards in 1521.[2] After Guam was discovered by Ferdinand Magellan under the flag of Spain, the island was repeatedly invaded by alien military forces.[2] The island was officially claimed by Spain in 1565. It was the first island as well as the Mariana Islands, inhabited by humans in Remote Oceania.[2] Guam has since been occupied by outside entities for over 330 years.[2]

Magellan arrived on the shores of Guam with three ships, the Trinidad, the Conception and the Victoria.[2] The population of Guam in the mid 16th century was severely reduced, due to the bloodshed caused by the Spaniards, as well as the many diseases carried by the Europeans.[2] Guam was ceded to the United States after the Spanish–American War in 1898.[3] It was then taken by the Japanese in 1941 during World War II. It was retaken by the United States in 1944.[3]

While Guam merely covers 520 km squared of land area, the United States territory is considered to be of international significance, due to geopolitics, as well as the strategic importance of Guam's straits, islands and canals.[3] Guam is the largest landfall, for use of communications, military bases and shipping.[2] Guam was utilised as a military base in World War II against the Japanese.[2]

Guam is a multi-ethnic island, with settlers from the Philippines, Korea, Japan and China forming part of its populace.[8] Guam was first settled by migrants from the Philippines in 1,500 to 1,400 BCE.[8]

The Chamorro people

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The Mariana Islands is an ethnic and cultural heritage of the Chamorro people.[3]  Despite the invasion attempts from leading military countries, such as Spain, The United States of America and Japan, the Chamorro people have maintained their traditions.[8] The cultural endurance of the Chamorro people was evident, as the Indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands maintained their language, tradition and integrity, in spite of the dominance of imperialism.[9] While Guam has remained a colony in the postmodern world, the Chamorro people of Guam have gained an amount of local political control of the island traditions.[8]

In pre-Spanish times, Chamorro clans were divided into two distinct, ranked social castes. Social castes are different from social classes in that individuals are born into a particular caste and their status, therefore, could not be changed. Social classes, on the other hand, are more fluid and members can move between classes. The upper caste was known as chamorri, and the lower caste was known as manachang. Movement in between these castes, such as through marriage, was prohibited.[10] Concubines or other relationships could be maintained only within one's social class. In addition, the chamorri caste was divided into an upper noble class called matao and a middle, or demi-noble class, known as acha’ot.

Languages

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Religion

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According to the Pew Research Center, 2010:[11]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reported 2,550 members in the LDS Church in Guam[12] in 5 congregations[13] as of 31 December 2019.[14] On 4 May 2019, the church broke ground for a temple in Yigo.

In 2020, the Vatican noted that 87.72% of the population is Catholic, with 54 priests and 64 nuns across 27 parishes.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Guam – The World Factbook". cia.gov. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rogers, Robert F. (30 June 2011), "Guam A Neocolonial Anachronism", Destiny's Landfall, University of Hawai'i Press, pp. 286–288, doi:10.21313/hawaii/9780824833343.003.0017, ISBN 978-0-8248-3334-3, retrieved 19 May 2021
  3. ^ a b c d e Perez, Michael P. (1 September 2005). "Colonialism, Americanization, and Indigenous Identity: A Research Note on Chamorro Identity in Guam". Sociological Spectrum. 25 (5): 571–591. doi:10.1080/02732170500176138. ISSN 0273-2173. S2CID 145393169.
  4. ^ "Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  5. ^ "UNSD – Demographic and Social Statistics".
  6. ^ "National Vital Statistics Reports". 4 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020" (PDF).
  8. ^ a b c d Hung, H., Carson, M., Bellwood, P., Campos, F., Piper, P., Dizon, E., & Chi, Z. (2011). The first settlement of Remote Oceania: The Philippines to the Marianas. Antiquity, 85(329), 909-926. doi:10.1017/S0003598X00068393
  9. ^ Clampitt-Dunlap, Sharon (2018). Language matters : a sociolinguistic analysis of language and nationalism in Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. Academica Press. ISBN 978-1-68053-068-1. OCLC 1030608805.
  10. ^ Social Classes in Traditional Chamoru Society – https://www.guampedia.com/social-classes-in-traditional-chamorro-society/
  11. ^ "Religions in Guam – PEW-GRF". Globalreligiousfutures.org. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  12. ^ This number includes all baptized members including those no longer attending.
  13. ^ LDS Meetinghouse Locator.Nearby Congregations (Wards and Branches).
  14. ^ "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Northern Mariana Islands", Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, retrieved 15 January 2021
  15. ^ Catholics And Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-03
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