A second Cyprus effectively exists outside Cyprus, with citizens scattered across almost the entire globe. Whilst the island’s population stands at 923,000 — of whom only 719,252 are Cypriots — more than 700,000 Cypriots are estimated to live abroad. The number of Cypriots living outside Cyprus may even exceed those living on the island.
The picture is not entirely clear, given variations in government data on the number of Cypriots living abroad.
According to a parliamentary answer from Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos to DISY Famagusta MP Nikos Georgiou, the following numbers emerge for the Cypriot diaspora:
United Kingdom: 350,000 – 450,000
USA: 70,000 – 80,000
Australia and New Zealand: 80,000
Greece: 70,000
Rest of Europe: 5,000
Canada: 35,000
South Africa: 35,000
Other African countries: 5,000
Taking the lower estimate, 650,000 Cypriots live outside Cyprus. Using the higher figures for the UK and USA, 760,000 live abroad permanently — roughly 40,000 more Cypriots than live in Cyprus itself.
The number of Cypriots living in Cyprus comes from the 2021 census. The Foreign Minister explains that diaspora figures come from information the government receives from institutional bodies of the Cypriot diaspora in the main countries where Cypriot communities are present.
Notably, more Cypriots live in the United Kingdom than make up half of Cyprus’s population, with their number ranging from 350,000 to 450,000.
Source: Phile News