2015 Edition

Background

The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.

Area

land

606 sq km

total

616 sq km

water

10 sq km

Area - comparative

three and a half times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August

Coastline

158 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Gimie 950 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

98.22 cu m/yr (2005)

total

0.02 cu km/yr

Geographic coordinates

13 53 N, 60 58 W

Geography - note

the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean

Irrigated land

30 sq km (2007)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land 4.9%; permanent crops 11.5%; permanent pasture 1%

agricultural land

17.4%

forest

77%

other

5.6% (2011 est.)

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

hurricanes; volcanic activity

Natural resources

forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential

Terrain

volcanic and mountainous with broad, fertile valleys

Age structure

0-14 years

20.75% (male 17,508/female 16,503)

15-24 years

16.3% (male 13,541/female 13,177)

25-54 years

42.93% (male 33,812/female 36,565)

55-64 years

9.18% (male 6,964/female 8,084)

65 years and over

10.84% (male 8,036/female 9,732) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

13.7 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2.8% (2012)

Death rate

7.42 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

13.3%

potential support ratio

7.5% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

47.3%

youth dependency ratio

34.1%

Drinking water source

urban: 99.5% of population

rural: 95.6% of population

total: 96.3% of population

urban: 0.5% of population

rural: 4.4% of population

total: 3.7% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

4.7% of GDP (2013)

Ethnic groups

black/African descent 85.3%, mixed 10.9%, East Indian 2.2%, other 1.6%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)

Health expenditures

8.5% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Hospital bed density

1.6 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate

female

12.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

10.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total

11.45 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official), French patois

Life expectancy at birth

female

80.47 years (2015 est.)

male

74.87 years

total population

77.6 years

Major urban areas - population

CASTRIES (capital) 22,000 (2014)

Maternal mortality rate

48 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

Median age

female

34.6 years (2015 est.)

male

32.4 years

total

33.5 years

Nationality

adjective

Saint Lucian

noun

Saint Lucian(s)

Net migration rate

-2.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

27% (2014)

Physicians density

0.11 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

163,922 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

0.34% (2015 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 61.5%, Protestant 25.5% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 10.4%, Pentecostal 8.9%, Baptist 2.2%, Anglican 1.6%, Church of God 1.5%, other Protestant .9%), other Christian 3.4% (includes Evangelical 2.3% and Jehovah's Witness 1.1%), Rastafarian 1.9%, other 0.4%, none 5.9%, unspecified 1.4% (2010 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 84.7% of population

rural: 91.9% of population

total: 90.5% of population

urban: 15.3% of population

rural: 8.1% of population

total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

13 years (2007)

male

12 years

total

13 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.93 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.86 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.83 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.76 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

35.2% (2007 est.)

male

21.5%

total

27.5%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.89% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

18.5% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

10 districts; Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort

Capital

geographic coordinates

14 00 N, 61 00 W

name

Castries

time difference

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

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

yes

citizenship by descent

at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Lucia

dual citizenship recognized

yes

residency requirement for naturalization

8 years

Constitution

previous 1958, 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979; note - in mid-2015, an amendment was proposed to replace the London-based Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice as the country's highest appellate court (2015)

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Saint Lucia

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

chief of mission

Ambassador Elizabeth Darius CLARKE (since 3 August 2015)

consulate(s) general

New York

FAX

[1] (202) 364-6723

telephone

[1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)

elections/appointments

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

head of government

Prime Minister Kenny Davis ANTHONY (since 30 November 2011)

Flag description

cerulean blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border; the blue color represents the sky and sea, gold stands for sunshine and prosperity, and white and black the racial composition of the island (with the latter being dominant); the two major triangles invoke the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), cone-shaped volcanic plugs that are a symbol of the island

Government type

parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Independence

22 February 1979 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - with its headquarters on St. Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and is comprised of the Court of Appeal with 3 justices and the High Court with 16 judges; sittings of the Court of Appeal and High Court rotate among the member states; 3 High Court judges reside on Saint Lucia; note - Saint Lucia is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice

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

magistrate's court

Legal system

English common law

Legislative branch

description

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; 6 members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 upon consultation with religious, economic, and social groups; members serve 5-year terms) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)

election results

House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 49.68%, UWP 45.83%; seats by party - SLP 11, UWP 6

elections

House of Assembly - last held on 28 November 2011 (next to be held in 2016)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS

name

"Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia"

note

adopted 1967

National holiday

Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

National symbol(s)

twin pitons (volcanic peaks), Saint Lucia parrot; national colors: cerulean blue, gold, black, white

Political parties and leaders

Lucian People's Movement or LPM [Therold PRUDENT]

Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenny ANTHONY]

United Workers Party or UWP [Allen CHASTANET]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

Budget

expenditures

$222.2 million (2011 est.)

revenues

$185.2 million

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-2.6% of GDP (2011 est.)

Central bank discount rate

6.5% (31 December 2010)

6.5% (31 December 2009)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

9% (31 December 2014 est.)

9.08% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

-$94 million (2014 est.)

-$150 million (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$497.5 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$485.9 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Economy - overview

The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries . Tourism is Saint Lucia's main source of jobs and income - accounting for 65% of GDP - and the island's main source of foreign exchange earnings. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area. Crops such as bananas, mangos, and avocados continue to be grown for export, but St. Lucia's once solid banana industry has been devastated by strong competition. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks, including volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters, and dependence on foreign oil. Furthermore, high public debt - 77% of GDP in 2012 - and high debt servicing obligations constrain the ANTHONY administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks. St. Lucia has experienced anemic growth since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, largely because of a slowdown in tourism - airlines cut back on their routes to St. Lucia in 2012. Also, St. Lucia introduced a value added tax in 2012 of 15%, becoming the last country in the Eastern Caribbean to do so. In 2013, the government introduced a National Competitiveness and Productivity Council to address St. Lucia's high public wages and lack of productivity.

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -

2.7 (2014 est.)

2.7 (2013 est.)

2.7 (2012)

2.7 (2011)

2.7 (2010)

Exports

$203.3 million (2014 est.)

$205.3 million (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, avocados, mangoes, coconut oil (2010 est.)

Exports - partners

Dominican Republic 26.3%, US 11.1%, Suriname 9.5%, Antigua and Barbuda 7.3%, Dominica 7.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 6.9%, Barbados 6.4%, UK 5.7%, Grenada 4.9% (2014)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

53.6%

government consumption

19.2%

household consumption

56.3%

imports of goods and services

-60.6%

investment in fixed capital

31.6%

investment in inventories

-0.1%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.6%

industry

15%

services

82.4% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$11,600 (2014 est.)

$11,600 (2013 est.)

$11,600 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

0.5% (2014 est.)

0.1% (2013 est.)

-1.1% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.404 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.978 billion (2014 est.)

$1.969 billion (2013 est.)

$1.966 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

22.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

11.5% of GDP (2013 est.)

13% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$558.8 million (2014 est.)

$496.7 million (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

food, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels

Imports - partners

Brazil 44.1%, US 27.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.2%, Colombia 8.8% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

3.1% (2014 est.)

Industries

tourism; clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, lime processing, coconut processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.5% (2014 est.)

1.5% (2013 est.)

Labor force

79,700 (2012 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

21.7%

industry

24.7%

services

53.6% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

77% of GDP (2012 est.)

77% of GDP (2010 est.)

Stock of broad money

$1.104 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.057 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$1.519 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.644 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$277.3 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$257.6 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

13.2% of GDP (2011 est.)

Unemployment rate

20% (2003 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

415,700 Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.)

Electricity - consumption

336.4 million kWh (2012 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

89,000 kW (2012 est.)

Electricity - production

361.7 million kWh (2012 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

3,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

3,041 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Broadcast media

3 privately owned TV stations; 1 public TV station operating on a cable network; multi-channel cable TV service available; a mix of state-owned and privately owned broadcasters operate nearly 25 radio stations including repeater transmission stations (2007)

Internet country code

.lc

Internet users

percent of population

89.2% (2009)

total

142,900

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2008)

Telephone system

domestic

fixed-line teledensity is 25 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 130 per 100 persons

general assessment

an adequate system that is automatically switched

international

country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables, along with Intelsat from Martinique, carry calls internationally; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados (2010)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

20 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

32,800

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

115 (2014 est.)

total

188,400

Television broadcast stations

2 (1 commercial broadcast station and 1 community antenna television or CATV channel) (2003)

Airports

2 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1 (2013)

2,438 to 3,047 m

1

total

2

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort

Roadways

paved

847 km

total

1,210 km

unpaved

363 km (2011)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49

41,414 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

36,289 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

32,688

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

1,502 (2010 est.)

male

1,574

Military branches

no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Marine Unit) (2012)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary security service; no national army (2012)

Disputes - international

joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits Venezuela to extend its Economic Exclusion Zone/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs

transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe