2019 Edition

CIA World Factbook 2019 Archive (Wayback Machine)

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Countries

267

Data Records

66,981

Aruba

2019 Edition · 244 data fields

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Introduction

Background

Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, semi-autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.

Geography

Area

Land: 180 sq km
Total: 180 sq km
Water: 0 sq km

Area Comparative

slightly larger than Washington, DC

Climate

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

68.5 km

Elevation

Highest Point: Ceru Jamanota 188 m
Lowest Point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment Current Issues

difficulty in properly disposing of waste produced by large numbers of tourists; waste burning that occurs in the landfill causes air pollution and poses an environmental and health risk; ocean environmental damage due to plastic pollution

Geographic Coordinates

12 30 N, 69 58 W

Geography Note

a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)

Land Boundaries

0 km

Land Use

Agricultural Land: 11.1% (2016 est.)
Agricultural Land Arable Land: 11.1% (2016 est.)
Agricultural Land Permanent Crops: 0% (2016 est.)
Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture: 0% (2016 est.)
Forest: 2.3% (2016 est.)
Other: 86.6% (2016 est.)

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela

Map References

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime Claims

Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 nm
Territorial Sea: 12 nm

Natural Hazards

hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened

Natural Resources

NEGL; white sandy beaches foster tourism

Population Distribution

most residents live in or around Oranjestad and San Nicolaas; most settlments tend to be located on the less mountainous western side of the island

Terrain

flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

People and Society

Age Structure

0 14 Years: 17.61% (male 10,304 /female 10,227)
15 24 Years: 12.53% (male 7,355 /female 7,253)
25 54 Years: 41.29% (male 23,187 /female 24,946)
55 64 Years: 14.51% (male 7,910 /female 9,005)
65 Years And Over: 14.06% (male 6,422 /female 9,967) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

12.3 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Death Rate

8.5 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

Elderly Dependency Ratio: 17.5 (2015 est.)
Potential Support Ratio: 5.7 (2015 est.)
Total Dependency Ratio: 44.6 (2015 est.)
Youth Dependency Ratio: 27 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved Rural: 98.1% of population
Improved Total: 98.1% of population
Improved Urban: 98.1% of population
Unimproved Rural: 1.9% of population
Unimproved Total: 1.9% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Urban: 1.9% of population

Education Expenditures

6.2% of GDP (2016)

Ethnic Groups

Aruban 66%, Colombian 9.1%, Dutch 4.3%, Dominican 4.1%, Venezuelan 3.2%, Curacaoan 2.2%, Haitian 1.5%, Surinamese 1.2%, Peruvian 1.1%, Chinese 1.1%, other 6.2% (2010 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

Female: 7.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 13.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Total: 10.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak) 69.4%, Spanish 13.7%, English (widely spoken) 7.1%, Dutch (official) 6.1%, Chinese 1.5%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Female: 80.3 years
Male: 74.1 years
Total Population: 77.1 years (2018 est.)

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Female: 97.5% (2015)
Male: 97.5%
Total Population: 97.5%

Major Infectious Diseases

note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Major Urban Areas Population

30,000 ORANJESTAD (capital) (2018)

Median Age

Female: 41.2 years
Male: 37.8 years
Total: 39.5 years (2018 est.)

Nationality

Adjective: Aruban; Dutch
Noun: Aruban(s)

Net Migration Rate

8.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Population

116,576 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.24% (2018 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 75.3%, Protestant 4.9% (includes Methodist 0.9%, Adventist 0.9%, Anglican 0.4%, other Protestant 2.7%), Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 12%, none 5.5%, unspecified 0.5% (2010 est.)

Sanitation Facility Access

Improved Rural: 97.7% of population (2015 est.)
Improved Total: 97.7% of population (2015 est.)
Improved Urban: 97.7% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Rural: 2.3% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Total: 2.3% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Urban: 2.3% of population (2015 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

Female: 14 years (2012)
Male: 13 years
Total: 14 years

Sex Ratio

0 14 Years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15 24 Years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25 54 Years: 0.93 male(s)/female
55 64 Years: 0.88 male(s)/female
65 Years And Over: 0.64 male(s)/female
At Birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
Total Population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.83 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

Female: 27.5% (2010 est.)
Male: 29.9%
Total: 28.9%

Urbanization

Rate Of Urbanization: 0.67% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Urban Population: 43.5% of total population (2019)

Government

Administrative Divisions

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Capital

Geographic Coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W
Name: Oranjestad
Time Difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see the Netherlands

Constitution

previous 1947, 1955; latest drafted and approved August 1985, enacted 1 January 1986 (regulates governance of Aruba but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands); in 1986, Aruba became a semi-autonomous entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Country Name

Conventional Long Form: none
Conventional Short Form: Aruba
Etymology: the origin of the island's name is unclear; according to tradition, the name comes from the Spanish phrase "oro huba" (there was gold), but in fact no gold was ever found on the island; another possibility is the native word "oruba," which means "well-situated"

Dependency Status

constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Curacao is accredited to Aruba

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Guillfred BESARIL (since 20 November 2017) is Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba, seated with his cabinet in the Aruba House (Arubahuis) in The Hague

Executive Branch

Cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Legislature (Staten)
Chief Of State: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor General Alfonso BOEKHOUDT (since 1 January 2017)
Election Results: Evelyn WEVER-CROES (MEP) elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA
Elections Appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a 6-year term; prime minister and deputy prime minister indirectly elected by the Staten for 4-year term; election last held on 27 September 2013 (next to be held by September 2017)
Head Of Government: Prime Minister Evelyn WEVER-CROES (since 17 November 2017)

Flag Description

blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner; the star represents Aruba and its red soil and white beaches, its four points the four major languages (Papiamento, Dutch, Spanish, English) as well as the four points of a compass, to indicate that its inhabitants come from all over the world; the blue symbolizes Caribbean waters and skies; the stripes represent the island's two main "industries": the flow of tourists to the sun-drenched beaches and the flow of minerals from the earth

Government Type

parliamentary democracy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Independence

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

International Organization Participation

Caricom (observer), FATF, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU

Judicial Branch

Highest Courts: Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or "Joint Court of Justice" (sits as a 3-judge panel); final appeals heard by the Supreme Court in The Hague, Netherlands
Judge Selection And Term Of Office: Joint Court judges appointed for life by the monarch
Subordinate Courts: Court in First Instance

Legal System

civil law system based on the Dutch civil code

Legislative Branch

Description: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Election Results: percent of vote by party AVP 39.8%, MEP 37.6%, POR 9.4%, RED 7.1%, other 6.1%; seats by party - AVP 9, MEP 9, POR 2, RED 1; composition as of October 2018 - men 14, women 7, percent of women 33.3%
Elections: last held on 22 September 2017 (next to be held in September 2021)

National Anthem

Lyrics Music: Juan Chabaya 'Padu' LAMPE/Rufo Inocencio WEVER
Name: "Aruba Deshi Tera" (Aruba Precious Country)

National Holiday

National Anthem and Flag Day, 18 March (1976)

National Symbol S

Hooiberg (Haystack) Hill; national colors: blue, yellow, red, white

Political Parties And Leaders

Aruban People's Party or AVP [Michiel "Mike" EMAN] Democratic Electoral Network or RED [L.R. CROES] People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Evelyn WEVER-CROES] Pueblo Orguyoso y Respeta or POR [O.E. ODUBER] Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Economy

Agriculture Products

aloes; livestock; fish

Budget

Expenditures: 755.5 million (2017 est.)
Revenues: 681.6 million (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

-2.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

31 December 2009: 3%
31 December 2010: 1%

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

31 December 2016: 7.83%
31 December 2017: 7%

Current Account Balance

2016: $133 million
2017: $22 million

Debt External

31 December 2013: $666.4 million
31 December 2014: $693.2 million

Economy Overview

Tourism, petroleum bunkering, hospitality, and financial and business services are the mainstays of the small open Aruban economy.Tourism accounts for a majority of economic activity; as of 2017, over 2 million tourists visited Aruba annually, with the large majority (80-85%) of those from the US. The rapid growth of the tourism sector has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Construction continues to boom, especially in the hospitality sector.Aruba is heavily dependent on imports and is making efforts to expand exports to improve its trade balance. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with the US, the Netherlands, and Panama being the major suppliers.In 2016, Citgo Petroleum Corporation, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela SA, and the Government of Aruba signed an agreement to restart Valero Energy Corp.'s former 235,000-b/d refinery. Tourism and related industries have continued to grow, and the Aruban Government is working to attract more diverse industries. Aruba's banking sector continues to be a strong sector; unemployment has significantly decreased.

Exchange Rates

2013: 1.79
2014: 1.79
2015: 1.79
2016: 1.79
2017: 1.79
Currency: Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar -

Exports

2016: $283.1 million
2017: $137.1 million

Exports Commodities

live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment

Exports Partners

US 20.2%, Colombia 17.6%, Venezuela 13%, Netherlands 9.1%, Thailand 8.4%, Panama 4.8% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

GDP Composition By End Use

Exports Of Goods And Services: 70.5% (2015 est.)
Government Consumption: 25.3% (2015 est.)
Household Consumption: 60.3% (2014 est.)
Imports Of Goods And Services: -76.6% (2015 est.)
Investment In Fixed Capital: 22.3% (2014 est.)
Investment In Inventories: 0% (2015 est.)

GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin

Agriculture: 0.4% (2002 est.)
Industry: 33.3% (2002 est.)
Services: 66.3% (2002 est.)

GDP Official Exchange Rate

$2.7 billion (2009 est.) (2017 est.)

GDP Per Capita Ppp

2015: $37,700
2016: $37,300
2017: $37,500

GDP Purchasing Power Parity

2015: $4.112 billion
2016: $4.107 billion
2017: $4.158 billion

GDP Real Growth Rate

2015: -0.4%
2016: -0.1%
2017: 1.2%

Gross National Saving

2015: 15.5% of GDP
2016: 17.2% of GDP
2017: 17% of GDP

Imports

2016: $1.142 billion
2017: $1.122 billion

Imports Commodities

machinery and electrical equipment, refined oil for bunkering and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs

Imports Partners

US 53.7%, Netherlands 13.1% (2017)

Industries

tourism, petroleum transshipment facilities, banking

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

2016: -0.9%
2017: -0.5%

Labor Force

51,610 (2007 est.)

Public Debt

2016: 84.7% of GDP
2017: 86% of GDP

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

31 December 2015: $828 million
31 December 2017: $921.8 million

Stock Of Broad Money

31 December 2016: $1.257 billion
31 December 2017: $0

Stock Of Domestic Credit

31 December 2016: $1.848 billion
31 December 2017: $1.848 billion

Stock Of Narrow Money

31 December 2016: $1.257 billion
31 December 2017: $0

Taxes And Other Revenues

25.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2016: 7.7%

Energy

2 commercial TV stations; cable TV subscription service provides access to foreign channels; about 19 commercial radio stations broadcast (2017)

Internet Country Code

.aw

Internet Users

Percent Of Population: 93.5% (July 2016 est.)
Total: 106,309

Telephone System

Domestic: ongoing changes in regulations and competition improving teledensity; 31 per 100 fixed-line, 126 per 100 mobile-cellular (2018)
General Assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system; increased competition through privatization has increased mobile-cellular teledensity; three mobile-cellular service providers are now licensed; MNO (mobile network operator) launched island-wide LTE services; MNP (mobile number portability) introduced (2018)
International: country code - 297; landing points for the PAN-AM, PCCS, Deep Blue Cable, and Alonso de Ojeda submarine telecommunications cable system that extends from Trinidad and Tobago, Florida, Puerto Ricco, Jamaica, Guyana, Sint Eustatius & Saba, Suriname, Dominican Republic, BVI, USVI, Haiti, Cayman Islands, the Netherlands Antilles, through Aruba to Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links (2019)

Telephones Fixed Lines

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants: 31 (July 2016 est.)
Total Subscriptions: 35,000

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants: 126 (July 2016 est.)
Total Subscriptions: 141,000

Transportation

Airports

1 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

2 438 To 3 047 M: 1
Total: 1 (2019)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

P4 (2016)

National Air Transport System

Annual Freight Traffic On Registered Air Carriers: 0 mt-km (2015)
Annual Passenger Traffic On Registered Air Carriers: 2,120,578 (2015)
Inventory Of Registered Aircraft Operated By Air Carriers: 19 (2015)
Number Of Registered Air Carriers: 3 (2015)

Ports And Terminals

Cruise Port S: Oranjestad
Major Seaport S: Barcadera, Oranjestad
Oil Terminal S: Sint Nicolaas

Roadways

1,000 km (2010)

Military and Security

Military And Security Forces

no regular military forces (2011)

Military Note

defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands; the Aruba security services focus on organized crime and terrorism

Transnational Issues

Disputes International

none

Illicit Drugs

transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage of population consumes cocaine