Flag of Trinidad and Tobago
Location of Trinidad and Tobago on the globe

Trinidad and Tobago

TT

Latin America

Trinidad and Tobago is home to 8 documented ethnic groups in Latin America — led by Indo-Trinidadian (~36%), Afro-Trinidadian (~34%), Mixed Trinidadian (~23%), Other Trinidadian (~6%). This page blends their phenotype and demographic data into one weighted reference: skin tone, facial features, hair texture and build, drawn from published census and ancestry sources.

Demographic Composition

Composition weights are derived from self-identification in published census and demographic surveys. Each row links to the source ethnic-group atlas page.

Ethnic groupWeightSource
Indo-TrinidadianIndo-Trinidadian35.5%CSO 2011 Census (Trinidad and Tobago Population and Housing Census 2011), self-identified East Indian (~35.5%); descendants of approximately 144,000 British-Indian indentured laborers brought between 1845 and 1917, the largest South Asian diaspora population in the Caribbean
Afro-TrinidadianAfro-Trinidadian34.1%CSO 2011 Census, self-identified African (~34.1%); descendants of enslaved Africans brought during 18th-19th c. British colonial sugar-cocoa-coffee economy. Concentrated in Port of Spain, San Fernando, and the western coastal urban zone
Mixed TrinidadianMixed Trinidadian22.6%CSO 2011 Census, self-identified mixed including dougla (Afro-Indo-Trinidadian admixture, the most common mixed sub-category, ~6%) plus broader mixed (~16.6%)
Other TrinidadianOther Trinidadian6.4%CSO 2011 Census, residual including no-answer and other categories; includes recent Venezuelan refugee population (post-2015, growing to estimated 35,000-40,000 by 2024), Warao migrants from Venezuela, plus other smaller groups
White TrinidadianWhite Trinidadian0.7%CSO 2011 Census, self-identified white/Caucasian (~0.7%); descendants of British colonial settlers, French Creole sugar-planter families (the corbeau-French families of San Fernando and central Trinidad), Spanish colonial-era settlers, Portuguese (Madeiran) immigrants, and 19th-20th c. Lebanese-Syrian immigration
Chinese TrinidadianChinese Trinidadian0.4%CSO 2011 Census, self-identified Chinese (~0.4%); descendants of post-1853 Hakka and Cantonese Chinese indentured labor plus subsequent immigration
Lebanese-Syrian TrinidadianLebanese-Syrian Trinidadian0.2%CSO 2011 Census, self-identified Syrian/Lebanese (~0.2%); plus a broader Lebanese-Trinidadian community partially captured under white-Trinidadian — politically and economically prominent since late-19th c. Levantine Christian immigration
Amerindian TrinidadianAmerindian Trinidadian0.1%CSO 2011 Census, self-identified Indigenous Amerindian (~0.1%, ~1,400+); the contemporary self-identifying descendant population of the Carib (the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community of Arima, recognized by the state in 1990) and Arawak peoples that were the pre-Columbian population of Trinidad

Trinidad and Tobago Phenotype Profile

Trinidad and Tobago has a uniquely-bifurcated bi-ethnic demographic structure unlike any other Caribbean country — the Indo-Trinidadian (~35.5%) and Afro-Trinidadian (~34.1%) populations are nearly equal in size, with substantial mixed-Trinidadian (~22.6%) populations including the distinctive dougla (Afro-Indo) admixed sub-category. Smaller white-Trinidadian (~0.7%), Chinese-Trinidadian (~0.4%), Lebanese-Syrian (~0.2%), Amerindian (~0.1%), and other (~4.6%, including substantial recent Venezuelan refugees) populations complete the demographic structure. The country's political life through the post-1962 independence period has been substantially structured around the Indo-Afro demographic equipoise, with the People's National Movement (PNM) historically representing Afro-Trinidadian political constituencies and the United National Congress (UNC) historically representing Indo-Trinidadian constituencies.

Geographic distribution shows strong patterning: Port of Spain and the urban western corridor are predominantly Afro-Trinidadian; central and southern Trinidad including the 'sugar belt' (Caroni, Couva, Penal-Debe) are predominantly Indo-Trinidadian; San Fernando and the western-southern coastal cities are mixed; Tobago is overwhelmingly Afro-Tobagonian (~85%). Skin tone across the population spans the full Fitzpatrick range I-VI with III-V the modal range nationally, reflecting the multi-source-population demographic structure. Hair texture spans the full Andre Walker range from straight (Indo-Trinidadian and Chinese-Trinidadian) through wavy and curly (mixed and dougla) to coily (Afro-Trinidadian). Hair color is predominantly black or very dark brown nationally. Eye color is predominantly brown nationally. The unique demographic structure has produced distinct cultural fusion in food (chutney music alongside calypso and soca), in religion (Hindu and Christian festivals widely celebrated alongside Orisha and Spiritual Baptist traditions), and in the country's celebrated Carnival tradition.

A descriptive view, not a claim about individuals

This page shows a weighted aggregate of phenotype observations across the Trinidad and Tobago population, based on demographic composition from published census and ancestry sources. Phenotypes within any country are far more varied than the aggregate suggests; this is a descriptive reference, not a deterministic claim about any individual. For source-level detail on individual ethnic groups, see the constituent atlas pages linked below.

Methodology Notes

Composition weights are derived from Trinidad and Tobago's 2011 CSO Census (Trinidad and Tobago Population and Housing Census 2011), the most recent comprehensive census; the planned 2024 census is in process. The 2011 census enumerated self-identification across the standard British-Caribbean-derived categories (African, East Indian, Chinese, White/Caucasian, Mixed including Dougla, Syrian/Lebanese, Amerindian, Other). Caveats: (1) the Indo-Trinidadian / Afro-Trinidadian / Mixed boundary is socially fluid and the 2011 census saw a substantial increase in Mixed self-identification compared to 2000, reflecting both genuine demographic shift and changing self-identification practice; (2) the dougla sub-population is partially captured under Mixed and partially under either Afro-Trinidadian or Indo-Trinidadian depending on individual self-identification; (3) the Tobago island population is demographically distinct (~85% Afro-Tobagonian) but is aggregated with Trinidad in the national-level data; (4) the recent Venezuelan refugee inflow is substantial and has shifted demographics in ways not captured by 2011 data.

See full project methodology →

Primary Sources

  1. 1.Central Statistical Office (CSO). Trinidad and Tobago Population and Housing Census 2011: Demographic Report. Port of Spain: CSO; 2014.
  2. 2.Vertovec S. Hindu Trinidad: Religion, Ethnicity and Socio-Economic Change. London: Macmillan Caribbean; 1992.
  3. 3.Brereton B. A History of Modern Trinidad, 1783-1962. Kingston: Heinemann; 1981.
  4. 4.Niranjana T. Mobilizing India: Women, Music, and Migration between India and Trinidad. Durham: Duke University Press; 2006.
  5. 5.Reddock R. Indian Women and Indentureship in Trinidad and Tobago, 1845-1917: Freedom Denied. Caribbean Quarterly. 1985;31(3-4):46-64.

Other countries in Latin America

Aggregate phenotype references for neighbouring Latin America nations, weighted by demographic composition.