In 1960, the last year for which there was an official census for the entire population of Cyprus, the island was home to 573,566 people. Official estimates held that there were 441,568 Greek Cypriots, 3,627 Armenians, 2,706 Maronites future these two groups were to be counted as part of the Greek Cypriot community, according to the terms of the constitution of 1960, 103,822 Turkish Cypriots, and 24,408 others. According to government statistics, 81.14 % of Cypriots in 1960, were Greek Cypriot and 18.86 % were Turkish Cypriot. Republic of Cyprus statistics around the 1988 population of the whole island at 687,500, and that of the government-controlled area at 562,700. It was around that the island's population consisted of 550,400 (80.1 %) Greek Cypriots, 128,200 (18.6 %) Turkish Cypriots, and 8,900 (1.3 %) who belonged to other groups. Cypriot population estimates were often controversial, because they could have remarkable bearing on political settlements. Thus, population figures from the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" differed markedly from those of the Republic of Cyprus.

The combined population of the Greek and Turkish sectors is 762,888. The overall population density is 82 persons per sq km (214 per sq mi). The principal city is Nicosia, the capital, which is separated into Greek Cypriot and Turkish zones. Lemesós, Larnaca, and Famagusta are the chief ports.

The people of Cyprus represent two main ethnic groups, Greek and Turkish. The Greek Cypriots, who constitute about four-fifths of the population, descended from a mixture of aboriginal inhabitants and immigrants from the Peloponnese who colonized Cyprus starting about 1200 BC and assimilated consequent settlers up to the 16th century. About one-sixth of the population are Turkish Cypriots, descendants of the soldiers of the Ottoman army that conquered the island in 1571 and of immigrants from Anatolia brought in by the sultan's government. Since 1974 additional immigrants from Anatolia have been brought in to work vacant land and increase the total labour force.