2020 Edition

Background

English settlers from Saint Kitts first colonized Anguilla in 1650. Great Britain administered the island until the early 19th century, when -- against the wishes of the inhabitants -- Anguilla was incorporated into a single British dependency along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, when Anguilla became a separate British dependency. In 2017, Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage on the island, particularly to communications and residential and business infrastructure.

Area

land

91 sq km

total

91 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about one-half the size of Washington, D.C.

Climate

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Coastline

61 km

Elevation

highest point

Crocus Hill 73 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Geographic coordinates

18 15 N, 63 10 W

Geography - note

the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2020)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest

61.1% (2022 est.)

other

38.9% (2022 est.)

Location

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)

Natural resources

salt, fish, lobster

Population distribution

most of the population is concentrated in The Valley in the center of the island; settlement is fairly uniform in the southwest, but rather sparse in the northeast

Terrain

flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Age structure

0-14 years

20.8% (male 2,056/female 1,992)

15-64 years

67.5% (male 5,958/female 7,147)

65 years and over

11.7% (2024 est.) (male 1,093/female 1,170)

Birth rate

11.69 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

17.3 (2024 est.)

potential support ratio

5.8 (2024 est.)

total dependency ratio

48.2 (2024 est.)

youth dependency ratio

30.9 (2024 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: total

total: 97.5% of population

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP)

2.5% of GDP (2022 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

10.3% national budget (2024 est.)

Ethnic groups

African/Black 85.3%, Hispanic 4.9%, mixed 3.8%, White 3.2%, East Indian/Indian 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.85 (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

2.1 deaths/1,000 live births

male

3.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total

2.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Languages

English (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

85.3 years

male

80 years

total population

82.6 years (2024 est.)

Major urban areas - population

1,000 THE VALLEY (capital) (2018)

Median age

female

39 years

male

34.8 years

total

37.5 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Anguillan

noun

Anguillan(s)

Net migration rate

10.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Physician density

1.51 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Population

female

10,309

male

9,107

total

19,416 (2024 est.)

Population growth rate

1.71% (2025 est.)

Religions

Protestant 73.2% (includes Anglican 22.7%, Methodist 19.4%, Pentecostal 10.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.3%, Baptist 7.1%, Church of God 4.9%, Presbyterian 0.2%, Brethren 0.1%), Roman Catholic 6.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other Christian 10.9%, other 3.2%, unspecified 0.3%, none 4.5% (2011 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.83 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.93 male(s)/female

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

0.88 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.72 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2023)

Capital

etymology

name may derive from the capital's location among several hills

geographic coordinates

18 13 N, 63 03 W

name

The Valley

time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Constitution

history

several previous; latest 1 April 1982

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Anguilla

etymology

in 1493, Christopher COLUMBUS named the island Anguilla, meaning "eel" in Spanish, because of the island's elongated shape

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none (overseas territory of the UK); alternate contact is the US Embassy in Barbados [1] (246) 227-4000

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Council appointed by the governor from among elected members of the House of Assembly

chief of state

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Julia CROUCH (since 11 September 2023)

election/appointment process

the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the governor usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as premier

head of government

Premier Cora RICHARDSON-HODGE (since 27 February 2025)

Flag

description: blue, with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms shows three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background, with a turquoise-blue field below meaning: the white on the coat of arms stands for peace; the blue base for the sea, faith, youth, and hope; and the three dolphins for endurance, unity, and strength

Government type

parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC is headquartered on St. Lucia and consists of the Court of Appeal -- headed by the chief justice and 4 judges -- and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal travels to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts

judge selection and term of office

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the British monarch; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62

subordinate courts

Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court

Legal system

common law based on the English model

Legislative branch

electoral system

plurality/majority

legislative structure

unicameral

legislature name

House of Assembly

most recent election date

6/29/2020

number of seats

11 (7 directly elected, 2 appointed, 2 ex-officio members)

parties elected and seats per party

APM (7); AUF (4)

percentage of women in chamber

27.3%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

National anthem(s)

history

official anthem, as an overseas UK territory

lyrics/music

unknown

title

"God Save the King"

National coat of arms

the Anguillan coat of arms features three interlocking dolphins jumping out of seawater; they represent endurance, unity, and strength, and their circular motion stands for continuity; the white background symbolizes peace and tranquility, and the turquoise-blue base represents the sea, as well as faith, youth, and hope

National holiday

Anguilla Day, 30 May (1967)

National symbol(s)

dolphin

Political parties

Anguilla Progressive Movement or APM; (formerly Anguilla United Movement or AUM) Anguilla United Front or AUF

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising

Budget

expenditures

$72.352 million (2017 est.)

revenues

$81.925 million (2017 est.)

Economic overview

small, tourism-dependent, territorial-island economy; very high public debt; COVID-19 crippled economic activity; partial recovery underway via tourism, benefitting from its high amount of timeshare residences; considering reopening oil refinery

Exchange rates

Currency

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2020

2.7 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

2.7 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

2.7 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

2.7 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2024

2.7 (2024 est.)

Exports

Exports 2016

$3.9 million (2016 est.)

Exports 2017

$7.9 million (2017 est.)

Exports - commodities

packaged medicine, garments, vehicle parts/accessories, vaccines, cars (2023)

Exports - partners

Chile 60%, Netherlands 8%, Brazil 5%, Hungary 4%, USA 4% (2023)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$452.73 million (2024 est.)

Imports - commodities

poultry, copper ore, natural gas, refined petroleum, fish (2023)

Imports - partners

Chile 50%, USA 27%, Botswana 15%, Japan 1%, Dominican Republic 1% (2023)

Industries

tourism, boat building, offshore financial services

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

-0.5% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

1.8% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

3% (2022 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2014

20.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$336.924 million (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$345.238 million (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$362.499 million (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2022

$27,400 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$28,900 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2024

$31,000 (2024 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

35 (2018 est.)

total

5,000 (2018 est.)

Broadcast media

1 private TV station; multi-channel cable TV subscription services are available; about 10 radio stations, one of which is government-owned (2024)

Internet country code

.ai

Internet users

percent of population

81.6% (2021 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

38 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

6,000 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

163 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

25,870 (2022 est.)

Airports

1 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

VP-A

Merchant marine

by type

other 2

total

2 (2023)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Environmental issues

inadequate potable water