The Republic of Cyprus had its last census way back in 1960. According to those figures the Cyprus population comprised of Greek Cypriots, a good 81.14 % to be precise. This also included the the Maronite and Armenian population as well. The remaining 18.86 % were Turkish Cypriots. These figures and the ones taken in later years are said to be of a controversial nature as they are said to have greater political implications. The data collected from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus vary significantly from those collected in the Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The birth rate in Cyprus went down considerably post Second World War. During this time there was a steady influx of the rural population into the urban areas. The rural urban divide was gradually bridged. As a result the rural population was introduced to the urban methods of family planning consequentially the birth rate went down.
The population of Cyprus was also affected by the emigration rate. The number of people emigrating to other countries has left an impact on the demographics of Cyprus. A section of the population , at their failure to escape the burden of rural poverty took to migrating from the country. This phenomenon of emigration was initiated as early as the 1930s but there were no official account of it till 1955. The years after 1955 till 1979 recorded the highest number of emigrants in various phases. This phenomenon was attributed to lack of stability in the socio economic and political sphere.
Latest available figures population data shows the population of Cyprus to be approximately 788,457 , according to a July 2007 estimate. The population mainly comprises of Turkish and Greek people as well as a small number of people from other ethnic groups. The state records a combined literacy rate of 97.6%.