2023 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2023 (factbook.json @ 0d4fa4984ecb)
Introduction
Background
The Siboney were the first people to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when Christopher COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early Spanish and French settlements were succeeded by an English colony in 1667. Slavery, to provide labor on the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Barbuda devastating the island and forcing the evacuation of the population to Antigua. Almost all of the structures on Barbuda were destroyed and the vegetation stripped, but Antigua was spared the worst.
Geography
Area
- land
- 443 sq km
- note
- note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km
- total
- 443 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
- water
- 0 sq km
Area - comparative
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
153 km
Elevation
- highest point
- Mount Obama 402 m
- lowest point
- Caribbean Sea 0 m
Geographic coordinates
17 03 N, 61 48 W
Geography - note
Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor
Irrigated land
1.3 sq km (2012)
Land boundaries
- total
- 0 km
Land use
- agricultural land
- 20.5% (2018 est.)
- agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 9% (2018 est.)
- agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)
- agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 9% (2018 est.)
- forest
- 18.8% (2018 est.)
- other
- 60.8% (2018 est.)
Location
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
- contiguous zone
- 24 nm
- continental shelf
- 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
- exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- territorial sea
- 12 nm
Natural hazards
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Natural resources
NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Population distribution
the island of Antigua is home to approximately 97% of the population; nearly the entire population of Barbuda lives in Codrington
Terrain
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
People and Society
Age structure
- 0-14 years
- 21.97% (male 11,321/female 10,980)
- 15-64 years
- 67.94% (male 32,103/female 36,847)
- 65 years and over
- 10.09% (2023 est.) (male 4,378/female 5,860)
Alcohol consumption per capita
- beer
- 2.97 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- other alcohols
- 0.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- spirits
- 4.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- total
- 11.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- wine
- 3.95 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Birth rate
15 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
NA
Contraceptive prevalence rate
NA
Current health expenditure
5.6% of GDP (2020)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
31.5% (2023 est.)
Death rate
5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Dependency ratios
- elderly dependency ratio
- 14.4
- potential support ratio
- 7 (2020 est.)
- total dependency ratio
- 40.9
- youth dependency ratio
- 26.5
Drinking water source
- improved: rural
- rural: NA
- improved: total
- total: 96.7% of population
- improved: urban
- urban: NA
- unimproved: rural
- rural: NA
- unimproved: total
- total: 3.2% of population (2017 est.)
- unimproved: urban
- urban: NA
Education expenditures
3.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Ethnic groups
- African descent 87.3%, mixed 4.7%, Hispanic 2.7%, White 1.6%, other 2.7%, unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)
- note
- note: data represent population by ethnic group
Gross reproduction rate
0.95 (2023 est.)
Hospital bed density
2.9 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Infant mortality rate
- female
- 10.9 deaths/1,000 live births
- male
- 16.8 deaths/1,000 live births
- total
- 14 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Languages
English (official), Antiguan Creole (an English-based creole)
Life expectancy at birth
- female
- 80.3 years
- male
- 75.9 years
- total population
- 78 years (2023 est.)
Literacy
- definition
- age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
- female
- 99.4% (2015)
- male
- 98.4%
- total population
- 99%
Major urban areas - population
21,000 SAINT JOHN'S (capital) (2018)
Maternal mortality ratio
21 deaths/100,000 live births (2020)
Median age
- female
- 35.4 years
- male
- 31.6 years
- total
- 33.6 years (2023 est.)
Nationality
- adjective
- Antiguan, Barbudan
- noun
- Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
Net migration rate
2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
18.9% (2016)
Physicians density
2.76 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Population
101,489 (2023 est.)
Population distribution
the island of Antigua is home to approximately 97% of the population; nearly the entire population of Barbuda lives in Codrington
Population growth rate
1.13% (2023 est.)
Religions
Protestant 68.3% (Anglican 17.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.4%, Pentecostal 12.2%, Moravian 8.3%, Methodist 5.6%, Wesleyan Holiness 4.5%, Church of God 4.1%, Baptist 3.6%), Roman Catholic 8.2%, other 12.2%, unspecified 5.5%, none 5.9% (2011 est.)
Sanitation facility access
- improved: total
- total: 91.7% of population
- unimproved: total
- total: 8.1% of population (2017 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
- female
- 16 years (2012)
- male
- 14 years
- total
- 15 years
Sex ratio
- 0-14 years
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years
- 0.87 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over
- 0.75 male(s)/female
- at birth
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- total population
- 0.89 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.94 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Urbanization
- rate of urbanization
- 0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
- urban population
- 24.3% of total population (2023)
Government
Administrative divisions
6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Capital
- etymology
- named after Saint John the Apostle
- geographic coordinates
- 17 07 N, 61 51 W
- name
- Saint John's
- time difference
- UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth
- yes
- citizenship by descent only
- yes
- dual citizenship recognized
- yes
- residency requirement for naturalization
- 7 years
Constitution
- amendments
- proposed by either house of Parliament; passage of amendments to constitutional sections such as citizenship, fundamental rights and freedoms, the establishment, power, and authority of the executive and legislative branches, the Supreme Court Order, and the procedure for amending the constitution requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the membership of both houses, approval by at least two-thirds majority in a referendum, and assent to by the governor general; passage of other amendments requires only two-thirds majority vote by both houses; amended 2009, 2011, 2018
- history
- several previous; latest presented 31 July 1981, effective 31 October 1981 (The Antigua and Barbuda Constitution Order 1981)
Country name
- conventional long form
- none
- conventional short form
- Antigua and Barbuda
- etymology
- "antiguo" is Spanish for "ancient" or "old"; the island was discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and, according to tradition, named by him after the church of Santa Maria la Antigua (Old Saint Mary's) in Seville; "barbuda" is Spanish for "bearded" and the adjective may refer to the alleged beards of the indigenous people or to the island's bearded fig trees
Diplomatic representation from the US
- embassy
- the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to Barbados Linda S. TAGLIALATELA is accredited to Dominica
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chancery
- 3216 New Mexico Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016
- chief of mission
- Ambassador Sir Ronald SANDERS (since 17 September 2015)
- consulate(s) general
- Miami, New York
- email address and website
- embantbar@aol.comhttps://www.antigua-barbuda.org/Aghome01.htm
- FAX
- [1] (202) 362-5225
- telephone
- [1] (202) 362-5122
Executive branch
- cabinet
- Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
- chief of state
- King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Rodney WILLIAMS (since 14 August 2014)
- elections/appointments
- the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
- head of government
- Prime Minister Gaston BROWNE (since 13 June 2014)
Flag description
red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band; the sun symbolizes the dawn of a new era, black represents the African heritage of most of the population, blue is for hope, and red is for the dynamism of the people; the "V" stands for victory; the successive yellow, blue, and white coloring is also meant to evoke the country's tourist attractions of sun, sea, and sand
Government type
parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Independence
1 November 1981 (from the UK)
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International organization participation
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch
- highest court(s)
- the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - 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 is itinerant, travelling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states, with 2 assigned to Antigua and Barbuda
- judge selection and term of office
- chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; 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
- Industrial Court; Magistrates' Courts
Legal system
common law based on the English model
Legislative branch
- description
- bicameral Parliament consists of:Senate (17 seats; members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and leader of the opposition; members served 5-year terms)House of Representatives (19 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms; in addition, 1 ex-officio seat is allocated for the attorney general and 1 seat for the speaker of the House - elected by the House membership following its first post-election session)
- election results
- Senate - composition - men 10, women 7, percent of women 41.1%House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - ABLP 47.1%, UPP 45.2%, BPM 1.5%, independent 5.2%; seats by party - ABLP 9, UPP 6, BPM 1, independent 1; composition - men 16, women 1, percent of women 5.9%; note - total Parliament percent of women 23.5%
- elections
- Senate - last appointed on 17 February 2023 (next appointments in 2028)House of Representatives - last held on 18 January 2023 (next to be held in March 2028)
National anthem
- lyrics/music
- Novelle Hamilton RICHARDS/Walter Garnet Picart CHAMBERS
- name
- Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee
- note
- note: adopted 1967; as a Commonwealth country, in addition to the national anthem, "God Save the King" serves as the royal anthem (see United Kingdom)
National heritage
- selected World Heritage Site locales
- Antigua Naval Dockyard
- total World Heritage Sites
- 1 (cultural)
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
National symbol(s)
fallow deer; national colors: red, white, blue, black, yellow
Political parties and leaders
Antigua Labor Party or ABLP [Gaston BROWNE]Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Trevor WALKER]Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Joanne MASSIAH]Go Green for Life or GGL [Owen GEORGE]United Progressive Party or UPP [Harold LOVELL]
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agricultural products
tropical fruit, milk, mangoes/guavas, melons, tomatoes, pineapples, lemons, limes, eggplants, onions
Budget
- expenditures
- $357 million (2020 est.)
- revenues
- $278 million (2020 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
-2.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Current account balance
- Current account balance 2019
- -$126.907 million (2019 est.)
- Current account balance 2020
- -$251.556 million (2020 est.)
- Current account balance 2021
- -$220.871 million (2021 est.)
Debt - external
- Debt - external 31 December 2012
- $441.2 million (31 December 2012)
- Debt - external June 2010
- $458 million (June 2010)
Economic overview
dual island-tourism and construction-driven economy; emerging “blue economy”; limited water supply and susceptibility to hurricanes limit activity; improving road infrastructure; friendly to foreign direct investment; looking at financial innovation in cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies
Exchange rates
- Currency
- East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2017
- 2.7 (2017 est.)
- Exchange rates 2018
- 2.7 (2018 est.)
- Exchange rates 2019
- 2.7 (2019 est.)
- Exchange rates 2020
- 2.7 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 2.7 (2021 est.)
Exports
- Exports 2019
- $1.196 billion (2019 est.)
- Exports 2020
- $590.849 million (2020 est.)
- Exports 2021
- $749.476 million (2021 est.)
- note
- note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Exports - commodities
refined petroleum, ships, gas turbines, aircraft parts, lobster, durum wheat (2021)
Exports - partners
Suriname 20%, Barbados 17%, Poland 12%, United Kingdom 10%, France 7% (2021)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
GDP - composition, by end use
- exports of goods and services
- 73.9% (2017 est.)
- government consumption
- 15.2% (2017 est.)
- household consumption
- 53.5% (2017 est.)
- imports of goods and services
- -66.5% (2017 est.)
- investment in fixed capital
- 23.9% (2017 est.)
- investment in inventories
- 0.1% (2017 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
- agriculture
- 1.8% (2017 est.)
- industry
- 20.8% (2017 est.)
- services
- 77.3% (2017 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$1.524 billion (2017 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
- highest 10%
- NA
- lowest 10%
- NA
Imports
- Imports 2019
- $1.18 billion (2019 est.)
- Imports 2020
- $737.693 million (2020 est.)
- Imports 2021
- $868.797 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, ships, recreational boats, cars, poultry (2021)
Imports - partners
United States 42%, Poland 25%, China 10%, Brazil 3%, Trinidad and Tobago 2% (2021)
Industrial production growth rate
8.26% (2021 est.)
Industries
tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019
- 1.43% (2019 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020
- 0.63% (2020 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021
- 2.06% (2021 est.)
Labor force
30,000 (1991)
Labor force - by occupation
- agriculture
- 7%
- industry
- 11%
- services
- 82% (1983 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA
Public debt
- Public debt 2016
- 86.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
- Public debt 2017
- 86.8% of GDP (2017 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
- note
- note: data are in 2017 dollars
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019
- $2.122 billion (2019 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020
- $1.693 billion (2020 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021
- $1.783 billion (2021 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
- Real GDP growth rate 2019
- 4.86% (2019 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2020
- -20.19% (2020 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2021
- 5.27% (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita
- note
- note: data are in 2017 dollars
- Real GDP per capita 2019
- $23,000 (2019 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2020
- $18,300 (2020 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2021
- $19,100 (2021 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2019
- $279.133 million (31 December 2019 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2020
- $221.809 million (31 December 2020 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2021
- $367.512 million (31 December 2021 est.)
Taxes and other revenues
19.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Unemployment rate
- Unemployment rate 2014
- 11% (2014 est.)
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions
- from coal and metallurgical coke
- 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
- from consumed natural gas
- 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
- from petroleum and other liquids
- 729,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
- total emissions
- 729,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Coal
- consumption
- 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
- exports
- 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
- imports
- 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
- production
- 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
- proven reserves
- 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Electricity
- consumption
- 278 million kWh (2019 est.)
- exports
- 0 kWh (2020 est.)
- imports
- 0 kWh (2020 est.)
- installed generating capacity
- 117,000 kW (2020 est.)
- transmission/distribution losses
- 65 million kWh (2019 est.)
Electricity access
- electrification - total population
- 100% (2021)
Electricity generation sources
- biomass and waste
- 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
- fossil fuels
- 95.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
- geothermal
- 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
- hydroelectricity
- 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
- nuclear
- 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
- solar
- 4.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
- tide and wave
- 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
- wind
- 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2019
- 107.154 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Natural gas
- consumption
- 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
- exports
- 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
- imports
- 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
- production
- 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
- proven reserves
- 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Petroleum
- crude oil and lease condensate exports
- 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
- crude oil and lease condensate imports
- 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
- crude oil estimated reserves
- 0 barrels (2021 est.)
- refined petroleum consumption
- 5,000 bbl/day (2019 est.)
- total petroleum production
- 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum products - exports
91 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports
5,065 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Communications
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 8 (2020 est.)
- total
- 8,000 (2020 est.)
Broadcast media
state-controlled Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service (ABS) operates 1 TV station; multi-channel cable TV subscription services are available; ABS operates 1 radio station; roughly 15 radio stations, some broadcasting on multiple frequencies
Internet country code
.ag
Internet users
- percent of population
- 96% (2021 est.)
- total
- 89,280 (2021 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- domestic
- fixed-line teledensity roughly 27 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is about 200 per 100 persons (2021)
- general assessment
- the telecom sector has seen a decline in subscriber numbers (particularly for prepaid mobile services the mainstay of short term visitors) and revenue; fixed and mobile broadband services are two areas that have benefited from the crisis as employees and students have resorted to working from home; one area of the telecom market that is not prepared for growth is 5G mobile; governments, regulators, and even the mobile network operators have shown that they have not been investing in 5G opportunities at the present time; network expansion and enhancements remain concentrated around improving LTE coverage (2021)
- international
- country code - 1-268; landing points for the ECFS and Southern Caribbean Fiber submarine cable systems with links to other islands in the eastern Caribbean; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)
Telephones - fixed lines
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 27 (2021 est.)
- total subscriptions
- 27,000 (2021 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 200 (2021 est.)
- total subscriptions
- 180,000 (2021 est.)
Transportation
Airports
3 (2021)
Airports - with paved runways
- 2
- note
- note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
- 1
- note
- note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
V2
Merchant marine
- by type
- bulk carrier 26, container ship 112, general cargo 443, oil tanker 4, other 53
- total
- 638 (2022)
National air transport system
- annual freight traffic on registered air carriers
- 290,000 (2018) mt-km
- annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers
- 580,174 (2018)
- inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers
- 10
- number of registered air carriers
- 1 (2020)
Ports and terminals
- cruise port(s)
- St. John's
- major seaport(s)
- Saint John's
Roadways
- paved
- 386 km (2011)
- total
- 1,170 km (2011)
- unpaved
- 784 km (2011)
Military and Security
Military - note
the ABDF’s responsibilities include providing for internal security and support to the police in maintaining law and order, interdicting narcotics smuggling, responding to natural disasters, and monitoring the country’s territorial waters and maritime resources; established in 1981 from colonial forces originally created in 1897, it is one of the world’s smallest militariesthe country has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since its creation in 1982; RSS signatories (Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security (2023)
Military and security forces
Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (ABDF): Antigua and Barbuda Regiment, Air Wing, Coast GuardRoyal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (2023)
Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 250 active military personnel (2023)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the ABDF's equipment inventory is limited to small arms, light weapons, and soft-skin vehicles; the Coast Guard maintains ex-US patrol vessels and some smaller boats (2023)
Military service age and obligation
18-23 years of age for voluntary military service for both men and women; no conscription (2023)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
none identified
Illicit drugs
a transit point for cocaine and marijuana destined for North America, Europe, and elsewhere in the Caribbean; some local demand for cocaine and some use of synthetic drugs
Environment
Air pollutants
- carbon dioxide emissions
- 0.56 megatons (2016 est.)
- methane emissions
- 0.22 megatons (2020 est.)
- particulate matter emissions
- 8.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Climate
tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Environment - current issues
water management - a major concern because of limited natural freshwater resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly
Environment - international agreements
- party to
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
- signed, but not ratified
- none of the selected agreements
Land use
- agricultural land
- 20.5% (2018 est.)
- agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 9% (2018 est.)
- agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)
- agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 9% (2018 est.)
- forest
- 18.8% (2018 est.)
- other
- 60.8% (2018 est.)
Revenue from coal
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Revenue from forest resources
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Total renewable water resources
50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Total water withdrawal
- agricultural
- 1.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
- industrial
- 2.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
- municipal
- 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Urbanization
- rate of urbanization
- 0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
- urban population
- 24.3% of total population (2023)
Waste and recycling
- municipal solid waste generated annually
- 30,585 tons (2012 est.)