The Bahamas was first colonised by the British beginning in 1648. A small population subsisted on the islands and was subsequently joined by British loyalists and their slaves who left the United States during the American Revolution. A majority of the proud, hard working people of The Bahamas are of African descent. A substantial minority consists of Caucasian immigrants and their descendants from the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. Smaller populations of Chinese and Indian immigrants have settled in The Bahamas during the past 50 years, as have immigrants from several Caribbean countries.

The Bahamian “melting pot” thus created, finds expression in its love of pageantry and tradition inherited from the British, but also in its preparedness for the 21st century so closely associated with the modern business style of North America.

The population of The Bahamas is approximately 284,000, with an annual growth rate of 1.7 percent. Nearly 67 percent of the people live in New Providence, 15 percent reside on Grand Bahama and the remainder make their homes on the various Family Islands. The Bahamas has an abundance of skilled labour and one of the most highly educated populations in the Western Hemisphere. The nation enjoys an adult literacy rate of above 95 percent.

Approximately half the workforce (75,000) are employed in tourism or tourism-related jobs. The offshore financial services sector, the second largest sector in the economy, employs close to 4,000 people. The remainder of the workforce is employed by the wholesale and retail, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries, and government sectors.