The population of the government-controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus is estimated at 875,900 at the end of 2018, compared to 864,200 at the end of 2017, recording an increase of 1.4%.

According to the Statistical Service, the proportion of children below 15 was estimated at 16.1% as well as the proportion of persons aged 65 and over, compared to 22.3% and 11.3% respectively in 2000.

There was a gradual increase in the proportion of old-aged persons and a decrease in the proportion of children demonstrating the ageing process. The proportion of persons aged 45-64 also increased to 24.1% from 21.7% in 2000, indicating ageing of the working age population as well.

Concerning the religious groups which belong to the Greek Cypriot community, at the end of 2018, the Armenians constituted 0.4% of the community, Maronites 0.8% and Latins 0.1% of the Greek Cypriot community.

The permanent residents of foreign citizenship were estimated at 155,600 at the end of 2018, constituting a proportion of 17.8% of the total population in the government-controlled areas.

In 2018, the number of births in the government-controlled areas increased to 9,329 from 9,229 the year before, giving a crude birth rate of 10.7 per 1,000 population. The total fertility rate which describes reproductive behaviour unaffected by changes in the age composition of the population, remained fairly low during the past few years. The total fertility rate for 2018 was estimated at 1.32, remaining constant from the previous year. The total fertility rate decreased gradually during the past years, from its local peak of 2.5 in 1982. Since 1995 the total fertility rate remains below the replacement level of 2.10.

Cyprus has one of the lowest proportions of extra-marital births in Europe and fertility is mainly marital fertility. In 2018, 1,752 children were born out of wedlock constituting a proportion of 18.8% of the total number of births.

The mean age of women at the birth of their first child was 29.4 years in 2018 while the mean age at birth irrespective of the order of child was 31.0 years.

The number of deaths reached 5,768 in 2018 and the corresponding crude death rate was 6.6 deaths per thousand population. Expectation of life at birth was estimated at 80.7 years for males and 84.6 years for females in 2018 compared with 80.0 years for males and 84.1 for females in 2017.

Infant mortality has admittedly reached a very low level, estimated at 2.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018.

Net migration in Cyprus has been positive from 1983 to 2011. For the period 2012-2015, net migration has been negative. As from 2016, net migration became positive again. In 2018, it was estimated at 8,102. Long-term immigrants (Cypriots and foreigners arriving for settlement or for temporary employment for one year or more) were 23,442, compared to 21,306 in 2017. Τhe number of emigrants (Cypriots and foreigners who had resided in Cyprus for at least one year) was estimated at 15,340 in 2018 compared to 15,105 in 2017.

The total number of marriages in 2018 increased to 13,783 from 13,062 the year before. As in the past few years, a large number of foreigners who married in Cyprus by civil marriage were not residing in Cyprus. Out of 9,865 civil marriages celebrated in 2018, only 2,859 were civil marriages of residents of Cyprus. Thus the total number of marriages of residents totalled 6,777 and the crude marriage rate for residents was calculated at 7.8 per 1,000 population.

In 2018, the number of ecclesiastical marriages remained about the same as in 2017 (3,918 as compared to 3,942 in 2017). Civil marriages of residents of Cyprus numbered 2,859 or 29.0% of the total civil marriages celebrated in Cyprus. In most cases, in 52.7% of the civil marriages of residents of Cyprus, the groom and the bride were of foreign nationality, in 20.3% the groom was Cypriot and the bride of foreign nationality, in 8.6% of the cases the bride was Cypriot and the groom of foreign nationality and 18.2% cases concerned Cypriot spouses.

Citizens of India, Pakistan, Romania and Bangladesh were the main nationality groups of foreign grooms, residents of Cyprus, who had a civil marriage in 2018, while for brides the main nationalities respectively were of Romania, Russia, India and Bulgaria. First marriages for both partners constituted 78.6% of marriages of residents, 14.0% were remarriages for one partner and 7.0% were remarriages for both partners.

The mean age of male residents of Cyprus at first marriage was calculated at 30.8 years, 31.5 for ecclesiastical marriages and 29.5 for civil. Similarly, the mean age of women at first marriage was calculated at 29.5 years, 29.6 for ecclesiastical marriages and 28.4 for civil. Age at first marriage continues to be lower in rural than in urban areas for both grooms and brides.

The total number of divorces in 2018 was 2,114 and the crude divorce rate was calculated at 2.43 per 1,000 population. The total divorce rate, which shows the proportion of marriages that are expected to end up in divorce, rose to 337.2 per 1,000 marriages in 2018, from 41.6 per 1,000 marriages in 1980. A proportion of 49.7% of divorced couples reported no dependent children under 18 years old, 24.6% reported one, 18.2% two and 4.7% reported three or more dependent children. The median duration of marriage is estimated at 10.0 years in 2018.

The population of Cyprus accounts for 0.2% of the total population of the 28 European Union countries. Cyprus has the third smallest population ranking behind Malta and Luxembourg which had a total population of 493,600 and 613,900 at the end of 2018 respectively.

The rate of natural increase of Cyprus (4.1 per 1,000 population) is much higher than the EU average (-0.7 per 1,000 population).

The age composition of the population portrays a somewhat younger age-structure than the European average. The proportion of persons aged 65 and over is among the lowest, while at the same time the proportion of children below 15 is among the highest. The abrupt decrease of fertility in Cyprus recorded during the nineties and the increase of the fertility indicator in some European countries in the last few years, resulted in placing the total fertility rate of Cyprus below the average of the European Union countries (1.6 for the year 2017).

Life expectancy at birth in Cyprus is above the average of the European Union (78.3 years for males and 83.5 years for females for the year 2017).