The people of Cyprus are broadly divided into two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, who share many cultural traits but maintain distinct identities based on ethnicity, religion, language, and close ties with Greece and Turkey respectively.

The population of the northern areas of Cyprus has increased following the immigration of 150,000–160,000 Turkish mainlanders, which the UN confirmed to have arrived illegally.

[7] Population by citizenship Republic of Cyprus government controlled area: northern areas of Cyprus:[9] Historical data about main demographic indicators from 1901 to 1990, for the entire island:[11][12][13] 1 The numbers of births and deaths 1901–1932 are estimates calculated from the birth and death rates.

[24] In 2020, 39% of children born in Cyprus were to mothers of foreign origin, both from non-EU countries and from other EU member states.

[27] Large-scale demographic changes have been caused since 1964 by the movements of peoples across the island and the later influx of settlers from Turkey to northern Cyprus.

Settlement in northern Cyprus, especially if accompanied by naturalization, is in violation of article 49 of the Geneva Conventions Protocol of 1977, since the Turkish occupation has been declared illegal by the UN.

[34] The UN General Assembly have stated the settlement of Turkish mainlanders, "constitute[s] a form of colonialism and attempt to change illegally the demographic structure of Cyprus".

The religious groups of Armenians, Maronites and Latins (about 9,000 people in total) opted, in accordance with the 1960 constitution, to belong to the Greek Cypriot community.

The majority of Cypriots earn their higher education at Greek, British, or American universities, while there are also sizeable emigrant communities in the United Kingdom and Australia.

[41] The data in subsections Age structure through Divorce rate are for the area controlled by the Republic of Cyprus government only.