That census indicated that one-third of residents were born on the archipelago, with foreign-born residents assimilated into local culture.The legal term for the right of residence is "belonging to the islands".The British Nationality Act of 1983 gave British citizenship to Falkland Islanders.

A significant population decline affected the archipelago in the twentieth century, with many young inhabitants departing the islands in search of a modern lifestyle and better job opportunities. 

In recent years, the island's population decline has steadied thanks to immigrants from the United Kingdom, Saint Helena and Chile.In the 2012 census, a majority of residents listed their nationality as Falkland Islander (59 percent), followed by British (29 percent), Saint Helenian (9.8 percent), and Chilean (5.4 percent). A small number of Argentines also live on the islands.

The Falkland Islands have a low population density.According to the 2012 census, the average daily population of the Falklands was 2,932, excluding military personnel serving in the archipelago and their dependents.

 A 2012 report counted 1,300 uniformed personnel and 50 British Ministry of Defence civil servants present in the Falklands. Stanley (with 2,121 residents) is the most-populous location on the archipelago, followed by Mount Pleasant (369 residents, primarily air-base contractors) and Camp (351 residents).

 The islands' age distribution is skewed towards working age (20–60). Males outnumber females (53 to 47 percent), and this discrepancy is most prominent in the 20–60 age group.

 In the 2006 census most islanders identified themselves as Christian (67.2 percent), followed by those who refused to answer or had no religious affiliation (31.5 percent). The remaining 1.3 percent (39 people) were adherents of other faiths.

The only official language of the Falkland Islands is English, and this is spoken by almost everyone on a day-to-day basis. Spanish is spoken by nearly 10% of the population, a significant minority. Most of the Spanish speakers are immigrants, foreign workers, and expats, predominantly from Chile and Argentina.

Due to the isolation of the islands, the small population retains its own accent/dialect, despite a large English immigration in recent years.

In rural areas (i.e. anywhere outside Port Stanley), known as the "camp" (from the Spanish "campo" meaning "field"), the Falkland accent tends to be stronger. The accent has resemblances to both Australia-NZ English, West Country, that of Norfolk and another one of Suffolk, both in England.