2020 Edition

Background

English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possession of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid-19th century. The Soufriere Hills Volcano erupted in 1995, devastating much of the island; two thirds of the population fled abroad. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in 2013.

Area

land

102 sq km

total

102 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.6 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Climate

tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

40 km

Elevation

highest point

Soufriere Hills volcano pre-eruption height was 915 m; current lava dome is subject to periodic build up and collapse; estimated dome height was 1,050 m in 2015

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Geographic coordinates

16 45 N, 62 12 W

Geography - note

the island is entirely volcanic in origin and composed of three major volcanic centers of differing ages

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

30% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 20% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 10% (2023 est.)

forest

24.2% (2023 est.)

other

45.8% (2023 est.)

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

volcanic eruptions; severe hurricanes (June to November) volcanism: Soufrière Hills volcano (915 m) has erupted continuously since 1995; a massive eruption in 1997 destroyed most of the capital, Plymouth, and made about half of the island uninhabitable; the island of Montserrat is part of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from Saba in the north to Grenada in the south

Natural resources

NEGL

Population distribution

only the northern half of the island is populated; the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity

Terrain

volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland

Age structure

0-14 years

15.8% (male 446/female 420)

15-64 years

76.1% (male 2,062/female 2,101)

65 years and over

8% (2024 est.) (male 220/female 219)

Birth rate

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

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

35.8% (2023 est.)

Death rate

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

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

10.5 (2024 est.)

potential support ratio

9.5 (2024 est.)

total dependency ratio

31.3 (2024 est.)

youth dependency ratio

20.8 (2024 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: total

total: 98.1% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 1.9% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP)

7.2% of GDP (2023 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

5.7% national budget (2025 est.)

Ethnic groups

African/Black 86.2%, mixed 4.8%, Hispanic/Spanish 3%, Caucasian/White 2.7%, East Indian/Indian 1.6%, other 1.8% (2018 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.65 (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

11.6 deaths/1,000 live births

male

8 deaths/1,000 live births

total

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

Languages

English

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.3 years

male

76.9 years

total population

76.1 years (2024 est.)

Median age

female

37.8 years

male

35.4 years

total

37.1 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Montserratian

noun

Montserratian(s)

Net migration rate

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

Population

female

2,740

male

2,728

total

5,468 (2024 est.)

Population growth rate

0.55% (2025 est.)

Religions

Protestant 71.4% (includes Anglican 17.7%, Pentecostal/Full Gospel 16.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 15%, Methodist 13.9%, Church of God 6.7%, other Protestant 2%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Rastafarian 1.4%, Hindu 1.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, Muslim 0.4%, other/not stated 5.1%, none 7.9% (2018 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: total

total: 99.6% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over

1 male(s)/female

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

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

Total fertility rate

1.34 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.94% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

9.3% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter

Capital

etymology

now entirely deserted because of volcanic activity, the city was named after Plymouth, England

geographic coordinates

16 42 N, 62 13 W

name

Plymouth

time difference

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

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Constitution

history

previous 1960; latest put into force 20 October 2010 (The Montserrat Constitution Order 2010)

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Montserrat

etymology

explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in 1493 after the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat, near Barcelona, Spain

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; US Embassy Bridgetown, Wildey Business Park, St. Michael BB 14006, Barbados, WI

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Council consists of the governor, the premier, 3 other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary

chief of state

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Sarah TUCKER (since 6 April 2023)

election/appointment process

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

head of government

Premier Easton TAYLOR-FARRELL (since 19 November 2019)

Flag

description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the right half of the flag; the arms show a woman in a green dress standing beside a yellow harp and embracing a large, dark-brown cross with her right arm meaning: the woman is Erin, the female personification of Ireland, the harp is an Irish symbol, and the cross represents the Christian faith; blue stands for awareness, trustworthiness, determination, and righteousness

Government type

parliamentary democracy; self-governing overseas territory of the UK

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, 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; Montserrat is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice

judge selection and term of office

chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the British monarch; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, and independent body of judicial officials; 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

Legal system

English common law

Legislative branch

electoral system

plurality/majority

expected date of next election

2024

legislative structure

unicameral

legislature name

Legislative Assembly

most recent election date

11/18/2019

number of seats

12 (directly elected)

parties elected and seats per party

MCAP (5); PDM (3); independent (1)

percentage of women in chamber

33.3%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

National anthem(s)

history

official anthem, as a UK territory

lyrics/music

unknown

title

"God Save the King"

National coat of arms

Montserrat's coat of arms dates back to 1909 and reflects the country's Irish settlers, who first arrived in 1632; the woman in the green dress is Erin, the personification of Ireland, and she holds Ireland's symbol, a gold harp; the cross represents Christianity, Monserrat's predominant religion

National holiday

Official birthday of King Charles III, usually celebrated the second Saturday in June (1948)

Political parties

Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP  People's Democratic Movement or PDM

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products

Budget

expenditures

$43.652 million (2014 est.)

revenues

$55.651 million (2014 est.)

Economic overview

formerly high-income economy; volcanic activity destroyed much of original infrastructure and economy; new capital and port is being developed; key geothermal and solar power generation; key music recording operations

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 - commodities

gravel and crushed stone, sand (2023)

Exports - partners

USA 25%, Antigua & Barbuda 13%, Guyana 13%, Egypt 12%, France 10% (2023)

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

29.5% (2017 est.)

government consumption

50.4% (2017 est.)

household consumption

90.8% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-88.6% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

17.9% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

-0.1% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$84.537 million (2024 est.)

Imports

Imports 2016

$36.1 million (2016 est.)

Imports 2017

$39.44 million (2017 est.)

Imports 2021

$15.3 million (2021 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, electric generating sets, cars, stone processing machines, x-ray equipment (2023)

Imports - partners

USA 62%, Antigua & Barbuda 6%, UK 5%, Belgium 4%, Trinidad & Tobago 3% (2023)

Industries

tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

-1.9% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

1.7% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

4% (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$80.972 million (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$86.875 million (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$89.254 million (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2022

$16,200 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$18,200 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2024

$19,300 (2024 est.)

Electricity

consumption

15.968 million kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

6,000 kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

370,000 kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

87.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar

12.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

200 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

55 (2018 est.)

total

2,700 (2018 est.)

Broadcast media

Radio Montserrat, a public radio broadcaster, transmits on 1 station and has a repeater transmission to a second station; repeater transmissions from the GEM Radio Network of Trinidad and Tobago provide another 2 radio stations; cable and satellite TV available (2007)

Internet country code

.ms

Internet users

percent of population

54.6% (2011 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

67 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

3,000 (2020 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

110 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

5,000 (2020 est.)

Airports

1 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

VP-M

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Defense Force (ceremonial, civil defense duties), Montserrat Police Force (2025)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from petroleum and other liquids

24,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

24,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

land erosion on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation