The 2006 Census records a resident population of 2,478. This figure excludes the 1,700-plus military and civilians based at Mount Pleasant Complex (MPC), and a further 84 residents temporarily absent on the night of the Census. The population is youthful, with 78% aged 55 years and under (1,932) and over 90% claims either British birth or descent. Many Islanders can trace their origins back over 150 years to the early days of settlement.
The capital, Stanley, has 2,115 residents, an increase of some 6% on the 2001 Census figures. The East Falkland population (excluding Stanley and MPC) stands at 194, West Falkland at 127, and the outlying islands at 42 people. The population continues to grow year on year.
At the 2006 Census, the number of dwellings in the Falkland Islands stood at 1,582, a rise of 47% on the 2001 Census. Of these, 930 were located in Stanley.
There has been a significant change in the fuel used for household heating and cooking with very few houses now using peat. Kerosene has become the main heating fuel, followed by diesel. LPG gas is firmly established as a cooking fuel.
Over 70 farms have access to 24 hour electrical power using wind turbines, and Phase One of the Sand Bay Wind Farm, which provides electricity for Stanley, has been highly successful with an average fuel displacement of 20%. The second phase of the Wind Farm entails the purchase of a further three turbines and two flywheel energy storage units with a payback time of around seven years, although increasing fuel prices could reduce this period. It is anticipated that the project will be completed during the 2009/10 financial year.
Since 1996, the number of households with computers has more than doubled. Over two thirds of all households now have computers, most with internet access. The television remains the most common household appliance in Stanley but mobile telephones have rapidly become a popular item amongst the capital's residents. In Camp, washing machines are narrowly the most popular household item.
Numbering well over 1,000, the four-wheel drive is the Islands' predominant vehicle.
