Births, school enrolment hit record lows, work permits spike
Births and school enrolment hit record lows for the island in 2024, according to the Government’s latest Digest of Statistics.
The digest showed that births in Bermuda decreased year-over-year by 3 per cent since the 2016 census, bringing the total births in 2024 to 425 — the lowest since the digest records began in 1940.
Total school enrolment also decreased by 2 per cent year-over-year to an “unprecedented low” of 8,289 students.
Deaths exceeded the number of births for the seventh consecutive year, bringing the population to an estimated 63,179 — a decline of 177 people.
The digest, which was published on Tuesday, collected statistics between 2015 and 2024, though it also included figures from as far back as 1974.
Enrolment into government schools dropped every year over the preceding decade, reaching a low of 3,841 pupils in 2024.
Meanwhile, private school enrolment, which had fallen to 3,305 in 2017, climbed to 3,590 pupils in 2024.
Bermuda College student enrolment slid from 1,305 in 2020 to 858 four years later.
The number of work permits issued to non-Bermudians who were not married to Bermudians reached a decade high of 10,850, increasing by 10 per cent year-on-year.
The private sector made up the vast majority of work permits at 97 per cent, or 10,510 permits. Almost half of permits fell into the two to five-year duration.
In the public sector, two to five-year permits made up 66 per cent of permits.
Occupied jobs overall increased by 2 per cent, or 585, between 2023 and 2024, bringing the total to 33,451.
The leading occupational group was senior officials and managers, accounting for 21 per cent.
Food retail prices rose for 29 of the 40 selected items that data was available for in the past year.
Salt had the highest percentage increase between 2023 and 2004. The 20 per cent increase brought the price of 750 grams of salt from $3.37 to $4.06.
Eggs showed the largest percentage decrease, with the cost of a dozen large eggs dropping 26 per cent from $8.31 in 2023 to $6.17 in 2024.
Over the past decade, peas saw the greatest percentage increase at 176 per cent, jumping from $2.07 in 2015 to $5.70 in 2024.
The only food to decrease in price over the past decade was boiled ham. The daily newspaper showed the largest price percentage increase over the past decade.
Government revenue exceeded expenditure by about $19.7 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year, making it the first surplus since the 2002-03 fiscal year.
Payroll tax remained the highest contributor to revenue at 49 per cent — while wages and salaries made up the largest share of expenditure, at 35 per cent.
• See Related Media to read the Digest of Statistics in full
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