2023 Edition

Background

First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands (1872-1960); they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma devastated the island of Tortola. An estimated 80% of residential and business structures were destroyed or damaged, communications disrupted, and local roads rendered impassable.

Area

land

151 sq km

note

note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke

total

151 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds

Coastline

80 km

Elevation

highest point

Mount Sage 521 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Geographic coordinates

18 30 N, 64 30 W

Geography - note

strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

46.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 6.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 6.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 33.3% (2018 est.)

forest

24.3% (2018 est.)

other

29% (2018 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)

Natural resources

NEGL; pleasant climate, beaches foster tourism

Population distribution

a fairly even distribution throughout the inhabited islands, with the largest islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke having the largest populations

Terrain

coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly

Age structure

0-14 years

16.56% (male 3,231/female 3,287)

15-64 years

71.87% (male 13,322/female 14,972)

65 years and over

11.58% (2023 est.) (male 2,156/female 2,401)

Birth rate

10.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current health expenditure

NA

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

46.6% (2023 est.)

Death rate

5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

12.6

potential support ratio

8 (2021)

total dependency ratio

32.8

youth dependency ratio

20.2

Drinking water source

improved: total

total: 99.9% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)

Education expenditures

2.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ethnic groups

African/Black 76.3%, Latino 5.5%, White 5.4%, mixed 5.3%, Indian 2.1%, East Indian 1.6%, other 3%, unspecified 0.8% (2010 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.67 (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

11 deaths/1,000 live births

male

16.4 deaths/1,000 live births

total

13.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Languages

English (official), Virgin Islands Creole

Life expectancy at birth

female

81.5 years

male

78.4 years

total population

79.9 years (2023 est.)

Literacy

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

Major urban areas - population

15,000 ROAD TOWN (capital) (2018)

Median age

female

38.6 years

male

37.9 years

total

38.2 years (2023 est.)

Nationality

adjective

British Virgin Islander

noun

British Virgin Islander(s)

Net migration rate

13.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Physicians density

NA

Population

39,369 (2023 est.)

Population distribution

a fairly even distribution throughout the inhabited islands, with the largest islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke having the largest populations

Population growth rate

1.87% (2023 est.)

Religions

Protestant 70.2% (Methodist 17.6%, Church of God 10.4%, Anglican 9.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 9.0%, Pentecostal 8.2%, Baptist 7.4%, New Testament Church of God 6.9%, other Protestant 1.2%), Roman Catholic 8.9%, Jehovah's Witness 2.5%, Hindu 1.9%, other 6.2%, none 7.9%, unspecified 2.4% (2010 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 97.5% of population

improved: total

total: 97.5% of population

improved: urban

urban: 97.5% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 2.5% of population

unimproved: total

total: 2.5% of population (2015 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 2.5% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

12 years (2018)

male

12 years

total

12 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

0.98 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.89 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.9 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.91 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.37 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.73% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

49.7% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Capital

etymology

name refers to the nautical term "roadstead" or "roads," a body of water less sheltered than a harbor but where ships can lie reasonably safely at anchor sheltered from rip currents, spring tides, or ocean swells

geographic coordinates

18 25 N, 64 37 W

name

Road Town

time difference

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

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Constitution

amendments

initiated by any elected member of the House of Assembly; passage requires simple majority vote by the elected members of the Assembly and assent by the governor on behalf of the monarch; amended 2015

history

several previous; latest effective 15 June 2007 (The Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007)

Country name

abbreviation

BVI

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

British Virgin Islands

etymology

the myriad islets, cays, and rocks surrounding the major islands reminded explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers (Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Virgenes), which over time shortened to the Virgins (las Virgenes)

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor John J. RANKIN (since 29 January 2021)

elections/appointments

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

head of government

Premier Dr. Natalio WHEATLEY (since 5 May 2022)

note

note; on 5 May 2022, Premier Andrew FAHIE was removed from office by a no confidence vote in House of Assembly following his arrest on drug trafficking and money laundering charges on 28 April 2022; Premier Dr. Natalio WHEATLEY sworn in as premier on 5 May 2022

Flag description

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful); the islands were named by COLUMBUS in 1493 in honor of Saint Ursula and her 11 virgin followers (some sources say 11,000) who reputedly were martyred by the Huns in the 4th or 5th century; the figure on the banner holding a lamp represents the saint; the other lamps symbolize her followers

Government type

Overseas Territory of the UK with limited self-government; parliamentary democracy

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, 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 - 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, traveling 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 3 in the British Virgin Islands

judge selection and term of office

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by 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

Magistrates' Courts

Legal system

English common law

Legislative branch

description

unicameral House of Assembly (15 seats; 13 members - 9 in single-seat constituencies and 4 members in a single, nationwide constituency directly elected by simple majority vote and 2 ex-officio members - the attorney general and the speaker - chosen from outside the House; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - PVIM 34.2%, VIP 31.9%, NDP 26.1%, PU 8%; seats by party - VIP 6, NDP 3, PVIM 3, PU 1

elections

last held on 24 April 2023 (next to be held in 2027)

National anthem

note: as an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)

National holiday

Territory Day, 1 July (1956)

National symbol(s)

zenaida dove, white cedar flower; national colors: yellow, green, red, white, blue

Political parties and leaders

National Democratic Party or NDP [Marlon PENN]Progressive Virgin Islands Movement or PVIM [Ronnie SKELTON]Progressives United or PU [Julian FRASER]Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Natalio WHEATLEY]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish

Budget

expenditures

$400 million (2017 est.)

revenues

$400 million (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

0% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2010

$279.8 million (2010 est.)

Current account balance 2011

$362.6 million (2011 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 1997

$36.1 million (1997)

Economic overview

British Caribbean island territorial economy; strong tourism and services industries; vulnerable to hurricanes; navigating public debt insolvency since 2008 Crisis; considered a tax haven; high electrification costs; major rum exporter

Exchange rates

the US dollar is used

Exports

Exports 2015

$23 million (2015 est.)

Exports 2017

$23 million (2017 est.)

note

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - commodities

aircraft, recreational boats, ships, hydrogen, halogens (2021)

Exports - partners

Malta 30%, Seychelles 29%, Switzerland 14% (2019)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

94.7% (2017 est.)

government consumption

7.5% (2017 est.)

household consumption

25.1% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-69.4% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

21.7% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

20.4% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

0.2% (2017 est.)

industry

6.8% (2017 est.)

services

93.1% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.38 billion (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA

lowest 10%

NA

Imports

Imports 2016

$210 million (2016 est.)

Imports 2017

$300 million (2017 est.) NA

Imports - commodities

recreational boats, aircraft, refined petroleum, cars, furniture (2019)

Imports - partners

Germany 32%, United States 22%, Italy 9%, France 7%, Seychelles 7% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

1.1% (2017 est.)

Industries

tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore banking center

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

0.4% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

2.8% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

4.2% (2022 est.)

Labor force

12,770 (2004)

Population below poverty line

NA

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015

$481.1 million (2015 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2016

$490.2 million (2016 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2017

$500 million (2017 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2015

1.8% (2015 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2016

1.9% (2016 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2017

2% (2017 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2017

$34,200 (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

38.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2015

2.9% (2015 est.)

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

173,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

173,000 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

116.298 million kWh (2019 est.)

exports

0 kWh (2020 est.)

imports

0 kWh (2020 est.)

installed generating capacity

33,000 kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

22.5 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

98.8% 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

0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

80.136 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

1,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

1,227 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

22 (2020 est.)

total

6,738 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

1 private TV station; multi-channel TV is available from cable and satellite subscription services; about a half-dozen private radio stations

Internet country code

.vg

Internet users

percent of population

77.7% (2021 est.)

total

24,087 (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line connections exceed 22 per 100 persons and mobile cellular subscribership is roughly 110 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 major casualty may be the region’s second largest telco operator, Digicel; the company filed for bankruptcy in the US in April 2020; it continues to operate in all of its Caribbean markets as it seeks to refinance billions of dollars of debt; the other major telco, regional incumbent Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), is experiencing similar drops in subscriber numbers and revenue; CWC is expanding and enhancing its fixed and mobile networks in many of the countries it serves around the Caribbean, despite many locations being small islands with very small populations; 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 - 1-284; landing points for PCCS, ECFS, CBUS, Deep Blue Cable, East-West, PAN-AM, Americas-1, Southern Caribbean Fiber, Columbus- IIb, St Thomas - St Croix System, Taino-Carib, and Americas I- North via submarine cable to Caribbean, Central and South America, and US (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

22 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

7,000 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

110 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

35,000 (2021 est.)

Airports

4 (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

2

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

VP-L

Merchant marine

by type

general cargo 3, other 27

total

30 (2022)

Ports and terminals

cruise port(s)

Tortola

major seaport(s)

Road Harbor

Roadways

paved

200 km (2007)

total

200 km (2007)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

0.21 megatons (2016 est.)

Climate

subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds

Environment - current issues

limited natural freshwater resources except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola; most of the islands' water supply comes from desalination plants; sewage and mining/industry waste contribute to water pollution, threatening coral reefs

Land use

agricultural land

46.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 6.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 6.7% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 33.3% (2018 est.)

forest

24.3% (2018 est.)

other

29% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.73% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

49.7% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

21,099 tons (2000 est.)