Suburbs growing as city centre population shrinks

THE POPULATION in the outskirts of Nicosia has undergone a significant increase in the last 20 years, according to the latest statistics from the revised local plan of the city.

The figures show a population increase in the Aglandja area, where the number of inhabitants has risen from 12,800 in 1982 to 18,934 in 2002. The number of inhabitants in the Lakatamia area has also increased, from 15,800 in 1982 to 28,466 in 2002. Latsia municipality’s population numbered 7,500 20 years ago, almost doubling to 12,810 last year, which analysts suggest may be due to the cheaper price of land in the district. Meanwhile, the population of Strovolos was up from 43,000 in 1982 to 58,446 in 2002 making it the capital’s largest municipality in terms of inhabitants.

The areas of Geri and Engomi have undergone the biggest relative population increase in the past twenty years. Where Geri’s population was just 2,400 in 1982 it has almost tripled since then, reaching 6,423 last year. The number of inhabitants of Engomi has also increased nearly three-fold, with the population last year recorded at 13,617 compared just 5,800 in 1982.

One of the few areas to experience a drop in the number of inhabitants recorded was that under the jurisdiction of Nicosia municipality. Perhaps due to the proximity of the Green Line and the escalation of property and land prices in inner-city areas, the population has fallen from 48,200 in 1982 to 47,763 in 2002. Ayios Dometios’ population is also down, falling from 13,500 in 1982 to 12,123 last year.

Overall, the figures show the population of the greater Nicosia district has risen by 49,000 in the last twenty years, up from 149,000 in 1982 to 197,952 in 2002.

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