Verdean Demography

Demographics of Verde
Population	224,470,159
Density	174.635/km2
Growth rate	.26%/year decanual average
Birth rate	22/1000
Death rate	18/1000
Life expectancy	71.45
• male	72.40
• female	70.50
Fertility rate	2.02 children
Infant mortality rate	7.2/1000
Age structure
0–14 years	22.4%
15–64 years	61.4%
65 and over	16.2%
Sex ratio
Total	.97 male(s)/female
At birth	1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.01 male(s)/female
15–64 years	.99 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.82 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Verdean
Major ethnic	Verdean
Minor ethnic	Isarléan
Language
Official	Classical Verdean
Spoken	Classical Verdean

Verdean Demography covers the distribution, categorization, and human development of citizens of the Verdean Republic. As of the DI 215 census the Republic has 224,470,159 citizens living within its borders, with 22.4% of the population being under 14 years of age, 61.4% being 15-64 years of age, and 16.2% being over 65. Population growth has been somewhat slow, with only the population growing by .26% a year, mostly as a result of immigration. The Republic of Verde, by Meridonian standards is a middle to lower income nation, though poverty rates have dramatically decreased since the DI 191 Revolution to 20% (by Meridonian continental standards), from an all time high of 86% in DI 191, and even conditions of the impoverished have improved fairly dramatically.

Age

Age Group	Numbers	Percentage
0-14 years or it's equivalent	50,281,316	22.4%
15-64	137,824,677	61.4%
64+	36,364,166	16.2%
Total	224,470,159	100.0%

Ethnic Groups

The Republic of Isla Verde is recognizes 37 ethnic groups within its polity. The largest of these are Verdeans, which comprise roughly 49% for the population, with sizable numbers of mixed Verdean persons who are societally considered Verdean, but are legally distinct. Ethnic minorities comprise 21% of the population with ethnic Capisarians being the largest group. There are roughly 23 million foreign born citizens in the Republic, the majority of which come from other Verdean islands, particularly Dorado, with a sizable minority being of Capisarian origins.

Racial Classification	Numbers	Percentage
Verdeans	177,489,577 109,990,378 (strictly Verdean heritage) 40,404,629 (mixed heritage (non Capisarian)) 27,094,570 (mixed heritage (Capisarian))	79% 49% (strictly Verdean heritage) 18% (mixed heritage (non Capisarian)) 12% (mixed heritage (Capisarian))
Isarléan	15,712,911	7%
Treleini	11,223,508	5%
Beshinese	5,836,224	2.6%
Valdens	4,489,403	2%
Hutizanis	2,244,702	1%
Other Meridonian and Especian	9,876,686	4.4%
Total	224,470,159	100.0%

Languages and Linguistic Groups

Most speakers in the Republic of Verde speak one of the Verdean languages, with the official language being Classical Verdean, which is spoken by roughly four fifths of the population. Ethnic minorities frequently keep their own languages as well, with Isarléan, and Treleini being the most common. Almost the entire population also speaks Vulgar Verdean, a simplified trade language and the international language of commerce, as a second language, with a small percentage speaking it natively.

Corazón del Río at night, the largest city in Isla Verde, and one of the largest in Greater Meridon with a population of over 15 million people.

Verdean is the predominant language of the Verdeao-Isarléan languages, being the most widely, and commonly spoken language of the group. It was based upon the older Proto-Verdean language, which slowly evolved over time after being influenced by other major continent langauges. Classical Verdean is the more common variant of the spoken Verdean languages in Verde proper, whereas Vulgar Verdean is simplified for international speech, and spread further than the original language during the Late Imperial Era, and the time of the First Republic. The written language was created as a reflection of the spoken vernacular language, with little distinction between the two, as the spoken language is, for the most part, relatively linguistically unified.

Urbanization

Throughout most of the first and second post-imperial centuries, Verdean cities expanded rapidly, first as a result of industrialization, and then as an exodus from Capisarian owned farms. Since the DI 191 Revolution however, the rate of urbanization has slowed somewhat with the expansion of cities slowing from nearly 10% a year, to slightly over 4% per year. Roughly 70% of the population lives in urban areas as of the DI 215 census.

Education

Since the DI 191 Revolution, the government has placed significant emphasis on education for its citizens. There are now 132,567 primary schools, 32,560 secondary schools, and 386 universities in operation in the Republic of Verde. Since the DI 191 revolution school through the secondary level is free and compulsory for all Verdean citizens, and for many university is free as well. Compulsory education in Verde consists of primary and secondary schooling which combined last 14 years, until a citizen is 18 years of age, and possesses some of the most rigorous educational standards in Greater Meridon. Many particularly in urban areas also pursue a universal education though this is not mandatory, and in many cases directly costs the student money.

A group of young Verdean citizens from Northern Verde

As of the DI 215 census, 97.2% of the population over the age of fourteen are literate, and this rate increases to 98.6% for citizens over the age of fifteen, in comparison with a literacy rate of 62% during the height of the Capisarian occupation in DI 165. This is with virtually no distinction between citizens of both sexes. Since the revolution, the Verdean government has placed a substantial economic priority on educating its citizens, giving the Ministry of Education a budget equal to 10% of the government budget, second only to the Verdean Armed Forces, and slightly higher than that of the Ministry of Health, and as a result teachers are some of the most highly paid government workers in the Republic, with teachers making more in some cases than parliamentarians in poorer districts.

Health

The health of the Verdean citizenry is overseen by the Ministry of Health. For the most part efforts of the Ministry of Health have been placed into maximizing the physical fitness of the citizenry and encouraging preventative care. For the most part these efforts have paid off with a number of diseases being eliminated in Verde, most notably Smallpox, HIV, Tuberculosis, Dysentery, and Cholera. Since the revolution the state has taken an increasingly active role in healthcare with a number of formerly privately owned hospitals, clinics and pharmaceutical companies being nationalized, and the quality of care has increased as a result, particularly over the late Federalist Capisarian model of total privatization.

The average life expectancy at birth has climbed to an all time high of 71.45 years for Verdean citizens, after being reduced to 35.7 during the end of the Capisarian occupation, though much of this can be attributed to the dramatic decrease in violent crime, and the end of an active anti-Capisarian insurgency since the Revolution, and its infant mortality rate has fallen to roughly mortality rate 7.2 per thousand live births, which has seen a similar radical decrease since the independence of the Verdean nation. Communicable disease has been problematic in urban areas, though a substantial portion of the Ministry of Health's budget goes to combating these ailments.

Religion

The Verdean constitution grants full religious rights to all Verdeans, though the overwhelming majority practice Regio dela Verde, with fully 86% pf the population embracing this religion with smaller numbers of practicioners practicing Diternalism (5%), Răscumpărare (2%), and a minority (7%) not following any faith. The census process does not include provisions for determining a practitioner's engagement with their faith, and as a result it is unknown how many persons are actually regular practitioners, though church records do indicate a fairly high participation rate. Participation, appears to be fairly high, though this is primarily among Regio practitioners with other religious followings following the same slow declining trend as mainland Meridon.