2023 Edition

Background

Discovered in 1493 by Christopher COLUMBUS who named it for his brother Bartolomeo, Saint Barthelemy was first settled by the French in 1648. In 1784, the French sold the island to Sweden, which renamed the largest town Gustavia, after the Swedish King GUSTAV III, and made it a free port; the island prospered as a trade and supply center during the colonial wars of the 18th century. France repurchased the island in 1877 and took control the following year. It was placed under the administration of Guadeloupe. Saint Barthelemy retained its free port status along with various Swedish appellations such as Swedish street and town names, and the three-crown symbol on the coat of arms. In 2003, the islanders voted to secede from Guadeloupe, and in 2007, the island became a French overseas collectivity. In 2012, it became an overseas territory of the EU, allowing it to exert local control over the permanent and temporary immigration of foreign workers including non-French European citizens. Hurricane Irma hit the island in September 2017 causing extensive damage, but Saint Barthelemy recovered by early 2018.

Area

land

25 sq km

total

25 sq km

water

negligible

Area - comparative

less than one-eighth the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Elevation

highest point

Morne du Vitet 286 m

lowest point

Caribbean Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

17 90 N, 62 85 W

Geography - note

a 1,200-hectare marine nature reserve, the Reserve Naturelle, is made up of five zones around the island that form a network to protect the island's coral reefs, seagrass, and endangered marine species

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean; located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; Saint Barthelemy lies east of the US Virgin Islands

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Natural resources

few natural resources; beaches foster tourism

Population distribution

most of the populace concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island periphery

Terrain

hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with plentiful beaches

Age structure

0-14 years

14.1% (male 515/female 485)

15-64 years

63.8% (male 2,442/female 2,083)

65 years and over

22.11% (2023 est.) (male 787/female 781)

Birth rate

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

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current health expenditure

NA

Death rate

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

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

13.3

potential support ratio

7.5 (2021)

total dependency ratio

30.8

youth dependency ratio

17.5

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

French, Portuguese, Caribbean, Afro-Caribbean

Gross reproduction rate

0.8 (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

5.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male

7.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total

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

Languages

Languages

French (primary), English

major-language sample(s)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

84 years

male

77.7 years

total population

80.8 years (2023 est.)

Literacy

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

Median age

female

47.4 years

male

46.7 years

total

47 years (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Physicians density

NA

Population

7,093 (2023 est.)

Population distribution

most of the populace concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island periphery

Population growth rate

-0.11% (2023 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.17 male(s)/female

65 years and over

1.01 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

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

Total fertility rate

1.64 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Capital

etymology

named in honor of King Gustav III (1746-1792) of Sweden during whose reign the island was obtained from France in 1784; the name was retained when in 1878 the island was sold back to France

geographic coordinates

17 53 N, 62 51 W

name

Gustavia

time difference

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

Citizenship

see France

Constitution

amendments

amendment procedures of France's constitution apply

history

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Country name

abbreviation

Saint-Barth (French)/ St. Barts or St. Barths (English)

conventional long form

Overseas Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy

conventional short form

Saint Barthelemy

etymology

explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in honor of his brother Bartolomeo's namesake saint in 1493

local long form

Collectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Barthelemy

local short form

Saint-Barthelemy

Dependency status

overseas collectivity of France

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Council elected by the Territorial Council; note - there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council

chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by Prefect Vincent BERTON (since 28 March 2022)

election results

2022: Xavier LEDEE (Saint Barth United) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 13 votes for, 6 blank votes2017: Bruno MAGRAS (Saint Barth First) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 14 out of 19 votes

elections/appointments

French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; president of Territorial Council indirectly elected by its members for a 5-year term; election last held on 27 March 2022 (next to be held in 2027)

head of government

President of Territorial Council Xavier LEDEE (since 3 April 2022)

Flag description

the flag of France is used

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Independence

none (overseas collectivity of France)

International organization participation

UPU

Legal system

French civil law

Legislative branch

description

unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members elected by absolute majority vote in the first-round vote and proportional representation vote in the second round; members serve 5-year terms); Saint Barthelemy indirectly elects 1 senator to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term and directly elects 1 deputy (shared with Saint Martin) to the French National Assembly

election results

Territorial Council - percent of vote by party (first round) - SBA 46.2%, Saint Barth Action Equilibre 27.1%, Unis pour Saint Barthelemy 26.8%; percent of vote by party (second round) - Saint Barth Action Equilibre and Unis pour Saint Barthelemy 50.9%, SBA 49.2%, seats by party - Saint Barth Action Equilibre and Unis pour Saint Barthelemy 13, SBA 6; composition - men NA, women NA, percent of women NAFrench Senate - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1 French National Assembly - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1

elections

Territorial Council - first round held on 20 March 2022 (next to be held in 2027); second round held on 27 March 2022French Senate - election last held on 24 September 2023 (next to be held on 30 September 2026) French National Assembly - election last held on 12 and 19 June 2022 (next to be held by June 2027)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Isabelle Massart DERAVIN/Michael VALENTI

name

"L'Hymne a St. Barthelemy" (Hymn to St. Barthelemy)

note

note: local anthem in use since 1999; as a collectivity of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)

National holiday

Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August (1572)

National symbol(s)

pelican

Political parties and leaders

All for Saint Barth (Tous pour Saint-Barth) [Bettina COINTRE]Saint Barth Action Equilibre [Marie-Hélène BERNIER]Saint Barth First! (Saint-Barth d'Abord!) or SBA [Romaric MAGRAS] (affiliated with France's Republican party, Les Republicans)Saint Barth United (Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy) [Xavier LEDEE]

Suffrage

18 years of age, universal

Economic overview

high-income French Caribbean territorial economy; duty-free luxury commerce and tourism industries; import-dependent for food, water, energy, and manufacturing; large Brazilian and Portuguese labor supply; environmentally fragile

Exchange rates

Exchange rates 2014

0.885 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

0.9214 (2015 est.)

Exchange rates 2016

0.903 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

0.885 (2017 est.)

Exports - commodities

beauty products, broadcasting equipment, sunflower seed oil, plastics, cars (2019)

Exports - partners

France 60%, Germany 27% (2019)

Imports - commodities

furniture, wine, refined petroleum, jewelry, food preparation materials (2019)

Imports - partners

France 78%, Switzerland 7%, Italy 7% (2019)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2021)

Broadcast media

2 local TV broadcasters; 5 FM radio channels (2021)

Internet country code

.bl; note - .gp, the Internet country code for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the Internet country code for France, might also be encountered

Internet users

percent of population

71.3% (2022 est.)

total

7,077 (2022 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems, 3 FM channels, no broadcasting (2018)

general assessment

fully integrated access; 4G and LTE services (2019)

international

country code - 590; landing points for the SSCS and the Southern Caribbean Fiber submarine cables providing voice and data connectivity to numerous Caribbean Islands (2019)

Airports

1 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

1

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.)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Gustavia

Roadways

total

40 km

Transportation - note

nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located on Sint Maarten

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

Disputes - international

none identified

Climate

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Environment - current issues

land-based pollution; urbanization; with no natural rivers or streams, fresh water is in short supply, especially in summer, and is provided by the desalination of sea water, the collection of rain water, or imported via water tanker; overfishing