Abstract
This chapter analyzes the dynamic of demographic growth in French Guyana through more than three decades. It reveals the diverse determinants involved in the reproduction of the population and its nature. Also, the chapter studies the diverse cultures of reproduction of the composite population as an impediment to the completion of the demographic transition process.
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Notes
- 1.
The official census body (INSEE-Guyane 2018) asserted that the population in 2016 continues to increase through the birth rates. For instance, between 2010 and 2016, newborn babies grew to 19.5%. Also, it is important to note that 44% of the newborns are from French citizens, 29% possess a French father and a foreign mother, and 27% have both foreign parents. Additionally, a third of the babies from mothers coming from Haiti has French fathers. Babies linked to Suriname mothers reach 45%. Births from Brazilian mothers at 60% have French fathers.
- 2.
“Birth: 4907 (in 1999); 5149 (in 2000); 5137 (in 2001).
Death: 648 (in 1999); 634 (in 2000); 678 (in 2001)”.
- 3.
“Life expectancy at birth for Men: 71.1 (in 1999); 71.7 (in 2000); 71.6 (in 2001).
Life expectancy at birth for Women: 77.9 (in 1999); 79.2 (in 2000); 77.9 (in 2001)”.
- 4.
Examples, 18–24 years old: 70.8%; 25–34 years old: 49.0%; 35–44 years old: 51.2%; 45–69 years old: 19.4%.
- 5.
The combined natural and migratory balances show the degree of variation of the population in French Guyana from 1974 to 2002. The average annual rates of change (in %) in the population are the following: 1974–1982: 3.87%; 1982–1990: 5.79%; 1990–1999: 3.57%; 2002: 3.40%.
- 6.
The official census body (INSEE-Guyane) asserted that the population in 2016 continues to increase through the birth rates. For instance, between 2010 and 2016, newborn babies grew to 19.5%. Also, it is important to note that 44% of the newborns are from French citizens, 29% possess a French father and a foreign mother, and 27% have both foreign parents. Additionally, a third of the babies from mothers coming from Haiti have French fathers. Babies linked to Suriname mothers reach 45%. Births from Brazilian mothers at 60% have French fathers.
- 7.
For the decade of 1990, while Cayenne presents both an increase in the natural movement and the net migration of 21.8%, Saint-Laurent du Maroni stands out 10.4%.
- 8.
According to the census bureau (called INSEE-Guyane) in 2016, aside from traditional immigrant populations (Suriname, Brazil and Haiti) living in French Guyana, recently, other populations coming from neighboring countries such as Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Dominican Republic are counted in French Guyana.
- 9.
Example, the data for the “gap between Men and Women at marriage in French Guyana 1995 are 30.8% for women and 35.3% for men”.
- 10.
“Formulated by the American F. Notestein in 1945, the theory of the demographic transition is best known by the diagram which summarizes the path… the diagram highlights a first phase defined by the decline in mortality then a second characterized by the inflection and then the rapid fall of the birth curve. The growth of the population accelerates throughout the first phase, reaches its maximum at the beginning of the second, while the fall in mortality is still greater than that of the birth rate, then slows down until stabilization. The population then enters its post-transitional phase, the modern democratic regime”.
- 11.
“The total fertility rate, also known as the total fertility rate, the sum of births which has been reduced or sometimes, and arguably, the average number of children per woman, provides a summary of these age-specific fertility rates. It is obtained by summing the children born in a year by a female population which would have, at each age, the fertility of the year concerned. Thus, in the case of Egypt, with the fertility rates of 1988, 1000 women aged 15 to 19 give birth to 102.5 children (20.5 in one year, 5 times more during the five years of the age group), 1000 women aged 20 to 24, 968 children and so up to 49 years. A total of 5448 births corresponding to 5.5 children per woman …
[…]This cyclical indicator of fertility is, as its name suggests, an indicator of the moment, namely a cross-sectional indicator (in relation to the time axis) which results as Gérard Calot, who for a long time led INED”, the end-to-end fragments of history lived in the same year by different generations of women. “It does not measure the actual descent of women, but it is nonetheless irreplaceable because it makes it possible to grasp in a simple and rapid way the evolution of behaviors and define trends.”
[…]Current index, the cyclical index is particularly sensitive to changes in the calendar: imagine that a high proportion of French women aged 25–29 years decide to postpone the birth of their first child by two or three years. At once, the fertility rate for 25–29 year olds has fallen sharply, which has an immediate impact on the overall index. To conclude that the fertility of French women decreases would be a mistake. A few years later, they will have this child, the fertility rate of 30–34 years will increase and, in total, their descendants will not be affected by what will have been a change of calendar.
This indicator exists, it is designated by the expression final descent. As a longitudinal indicator [life story] (and no longer cross-sectional like the ICF), it measures the actual number of children born to a generation of women. By nature, it can only be calculated at the moment when this generation completes its fertile life: thus in 1999, it is possible to measure the final descent of women born in 1949 who reach their fiftieth birthday”.
- 12.
“The distribution of the Guyanese population in thousands of inhabitants and in % of age ranges and by sex from 1990 to 2002 shows that less than 20 years old represent 44.7%; 20 to 59 years old are counted for (49.6%); and 60 years and up for 5.7%”.
- 13.
“Total male and female births in Guyana for the years 1995, 1996 and 1997 point out a greater number of men and a lesser quantity of women. Examples, in 1995 (2175 men versus 2089 females = total 4264); in 1996 (2224 men versus 2143 females = total 4367); in 1997 (2267 versus 2186 = total 4453)”.
- 14.
Legally, Jus soli is still a core element of the United States immigration policy, despite the anti-immigrant sentiment and the tightening border policy of the sitting President Donald Trump and his administration.
- 15.
“The number of marriages in French Guyana for the years 1999, 2000 and 2001 points out a slight increase. As a result, in 1999 (548 marriages or 3.5) have been counted, in 2000 (545 marriages or 3.3) and in 2001 (567 marriages or 3.5)”.
- 16.
Number of marriages per thousand of inhabitants in French Guyana in 2003.
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Zéphirin, R. (2020). Demographic Growth and Demographic Transition in French Guyana: The Diverse Determinants. In: Political Demography and Urban Governance in French Guyana. Palgrave Pivot, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3832-2_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3832-2_2
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