2020 Edition

Background

Spain reluctantly ceded the strategically important Gibraltar to Great Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, and the British garrison at Gibraltar was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. After the UK granted Gibraltar autonomy in 1969, Spain closed the border and severed all communication links. Between 1997 and 2002, the UK and Spain held a series of talks on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar. In response to these talks, the Gibraltar Government called a referendum in 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted overwhelmingly against sharing sovereignty with Spain. Since 2004, Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar have held tripartite talks to resolve problems that affect the local population, and work continues on cooperation agreements in areas such as taxation and financial services, communications and maritime security, legal and customs services, environmental protection, and education and visa services. A new noncolonial constitution came into force in 2007, and the European Court of First Instance recognized Gibraltar's right to regulate its own tax regime in 2008. The UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign relations, internal security, and financial stability. Spain and the UK continue to spar over the territory. In 2009, for example, a dispute over Gibraltar's claim to territorial waters extending out three miles gave rise to periodic non-violent maritime confrontations between Spanish and UK naval patrols. Spain renewed its demands for an eventual return of Gibraltar to Spanish control after the UK’s 2016 vote to leave the EU, but London has dismissed any connection between the vote and its sovereignty over Gibraltar. 

Area

land

6.5 sq km

total

7 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

more than 10 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Climate

Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers

Coastline

12 km

Elevation

highest point

Rock of Gibraltar 426 m

lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Geographic coordinates

36 08 N, 5 21 W

Geography - note

strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

border countries

Spain 1.2 km

total

1.2 km

Land use

agricultural land

0% (2022 est.)

forest

0% (2022 est.)

other

100% (2022 est.)

Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea

3 nm

Natural hazards

occasional droughts; no streams or large bodies of water on the peninsula (all potable water comes from desalination)

Natural resources

none

Terrain

a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar

Age structure

0-14 years

20% (male 3,045/female 2,895)

15-64 years

62.5% (male 9,383/female 9,179)

65 years and over

17.5% (2024 est.) (male 2,491/female 2,690)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

28 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

3.6 (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio

60 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

32.1 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: total

total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

8.6% national budget (2025 est.)

Ethnic groups

Gibraltarian 79%, other British 13.2%, Spanish 2.1%, Moroccan 1.6%, other EU 2.4%, other 1.6% (2012 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.92 (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

5.2 deaths/1,000 live births

male

6.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total

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

Languages

English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese

Life expectancy at birth

female

83.8 years

male

78.1 years

total population

80.9 years (2024 est.)

Major urban areas - population

35,000 GIBRALTAR (capital) (2018)

Median age

female

37.5 years

male

36.2 years

total

37.1 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Gibraltar

noun

Gibraltarian(s)

Net migration rate

-3.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population

female

14,810

male

14,923

total

29,733 (2025 est.)

Population growth rate

0.16% (2025 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 72.1%, Church of England 7.7%, other Christian 3.8%, Muslim 3.6%, Jewish 2.4%, Hindu 2%, other 1.1%, none 7.1%, unspecified 0.1% (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: total

total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.93 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

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

Total fertility rate

1.88 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.45% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2023)

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology

from the Spanish derivation of the Arabic jabal tariq, which means "Mountain of Tariq" and refers to the Berber chief who captured the peninsula in A.D. 711

geographic coordinates

36 08 N, 5 21 W

name

Gibraltar

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Constitution

amendment process

proposed by Parliament and requires prior consent of the British monarch (through the Secretary of State); passage requires at least three-fourths majority vote in Parliament followed by simple majority vote in a referendum; note – only sections 1 through 15 in Chapter 1 (Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms) can be amended by Parliament

history

previous 1969; latest passed by referendum 30 November 2006, entered into effect 14 December 2006, entered into force 2 January 2007

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Gibraltar

etymology

from the Spanish derivation of the Arabic jabal tariq, which means "Mountain of Tariq" and refers to the Berber chief who captured the peninsula in A.D. 711

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

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

Council of Ministers appointed from among the 17 elected members of Parliament by the governor, in consultation with the chief minister

chief of state

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Sir David STEEL (since 11 June 2020)

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 chief minister

head of government

Chief Minister Fabian PICARDO (since 9 December 2011)

Flag

description: two horizontal bands of white (top, double-width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; a gold key hangs from the castle gate and is centered in the red band meaning: the castle symbolizes Gibraltar as a fortress, and the key represents Gibraltar's strategic importance -- the key to the Mediterranean history: the design comes from Gibraltar's coat of arms, which King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain granted on 10 July 1502 

Government type

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

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

ICC (NGOs), Interpol (subbureau), UPU

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Court of Appeal (consists of at least 3 judges, including the court president); Supreme Court of Gibraltar (consists of the chief justice and 3 judges)

judge selection and term of office

Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judges appointed by the governor upon the advice of the Judicial Service Commission, a 7-member body of judges and appointees of the governor; tenure of the Court of Appeal president based on terms of appointment; Supreme Court chief justice and judges normally appointed until retirement at age 67, but tenure can be extended 3 years

subordinate courts

Court of First Instance; Magistrates' Court; specialized tribunals for issues relating to social security, taxes, and employment

Legal system

the laws of the UK apply

Legislative branch

electoral system

plurality/majority

expected date of next election

October 2027

legislative structure

unicameral

legislature name

Parliament

most recent election date

10/12/2023

number of seats

18 (17 directly elected, 1 appointed)

parties elected and seats per party

GSLP-Liberal Alliance (9) (GSLP 7, LPG 2); GSD (8)

percentage of women in chamber

38.5%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

4 years

National anthem(s)

history

official anthem, as an overseas UK territory

lyrics/music

unknown

title

"God Save the King"

National coat of arms

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain granted this coat of arms to Gibraltar in 1502; the castle in the center of the shield represents Gibraltar as a fortress, and the gold key represents its strategic position as the gateway to the Mediterranean; below the shield is the national motto, Montis Insignia Calpe (“Badge of the Rock of Gibraltar”); the coat of arms uses the national colors of red, white, and yellow

National color(s)

red, white, yellow

National holiday

National Day, 10 September (1967)

National symbol(s)

Barbary partridge

Political parties

Gibraltar Liberal Party or Liberal Party of Gibraltar or LPG  Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD  Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP  GSLP-Liberal Alliance  Together Gibraltar or TG 

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal; and British citizens with six months residence or more

Agricultural products

none

Economic overview

British territorial high-income economy; Brexit caused significant economic disruption to longstanding financial services, shipping, and tourism industries; ongoing negotiations to rejoin EU Schengen Area; independent taxation authority

Exchange rates

Currency

Gibraltar pounds (GIP) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2020

0.78 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.727 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.811 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.805 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2024

0.782 (2024 est.)

Exports - commodities

refined petroleum, natural gas, ships, cars, scrap iron (2023)

Exports - partners

Netherlands 38%, France 26%, Cyprus 7%, Poland 7%, Sweden 6% (2023)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.044 billion (2014 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, crude petroleum, coal tar oil, natural gas, ships (2023)

Imports - partners

Italy 26%, Greece 12%, Spain 10%, Netherlands 9%, India 9% (2023)

Industries

tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco

Electricity

consumption

213.744 million kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

50,000 kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

6.256 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

77.196 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports

77.196 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

91,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

61 (2022 est.)

total

23,000 (2022 est.)

Broadcast media

Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) provides TV and radio services via 1 TV station and 4 radio stations; British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) operates 1 radio station; broadcasts from Spanish radio and TV stations are accessible

Internet country code

.gi

Internet users

percent of population

94% (2016 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

46 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

17,200 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

98 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

36,700 (2022 est.)

Airports

1 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

VP-G

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 8, container ship 5, general cargo 31, oil tanker 16, other 69

total

129 (2023)

Ports

key ports

Europa Point

large

0

medium

1

ports with oil terminals

1

small

0

total ports

1 (2024)

very small

0

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Military and security forces

Royal Gibraltar Regiment (UK) (2025)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from consumed natural gas

150,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

15.458 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

15.608 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

limited natural freshwater resources

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

17,000 tons (2024 est.)