2019 Edition

CIA World Factbook 2019 Archive (Wayback Machine)

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Countries

267

Data Records

66,981

Saint Lucia

2019 Edition · 261 data fields

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Introduction

Background

The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries and burgeoning sugar industry, 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 and became part of the British Windward Islands colony. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. In the mid-20th century, Saint Lucia joined the West Indies Federation (1958–1962) and in 1967 became one of the six members of the West Indies Associated States, with internal self-government. In 1979, Saint Lucia gained full independence.

Geography

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

Highest Point: Mount Gimie 948 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

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 (2012)

Land Boundaries

0 km

Land Use

Agricultural Land: 17.4% (2011 est.)
Agricultural Land Arable Land: 4.9% (2011 est.)
Agricultural Land Permanent Crops: 11.5% (2011 est.)
Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture: 1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 77% (2011 est.)
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

hurricanesvolcanism: Mount Gimie (948 m), also known as Qualibou, is a caldera on the west of the island; the iconic twin pyramidal peaks of Gros Piton (771 m) and Petit Piton (743 m) are lava dome remnants associated with the Soufriere volcano; there have been no historical magmatic eruptions, but a minor steam eruption in 1766 spread a thin layer of ash over a wide area; Saint Lucia 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

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

Population Distribution

most of the population is found on the periphery of the island, with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries

Terrain

volcanic and mountainous with broad, fertile valleys

People and Society

Age Structure

0 14 Years: 19.77% (male 16,840 /female 15,874)
15 24 Years: 14.79% (male 12,419 /female 12,060)
25 54 Years: 42.93% (male 34,228 /female 36,818)
55 64 Years: 10.41% (male 7,944 /female 9,284)
65 Years And Over: 12.11% (male 9,086 /female 10,957) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

13.1 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Children Under The Age Of 5 Years Underweight

2.8% (2012)

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

55.5% (2011/12)

Current Health Expenditure

5.3% (2016)

Death Rate

7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

Elderly Dependency Ratio: 13.3 (2015 est.)
Potential Support Ratio: 7.5 (2015 est.)
Total Dependency Ratio: 41.1 (2015 est.)
Youth Dependency Ratio: 27.9 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved Rural: 95.6% of population
Improved Total: 96.3% of population
Improved Urban: 99.5% of population
Unimproved Rural: 4.4% of population
Unimproved Total: 3.7% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Urban: 0.5% of population

Education Expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2018)

Ethnic Groups

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

HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate

0.6% (2018)

HIV/AIDS Deaths

<100 (2018)

HIV/AIDS People Living With HIV/AIDS

<1000 (2018)

Hospital Bed Density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2013)

Infant Mortality Rate

Female: 11 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Total: 10.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

English (official), French patois

Life Expectancy at Birth

Female: 81 years
Male: 75.4 years
Total Population: 78.1 years (2018 est.)

Major Infectious Diseases

note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Major Urban Areas Population

22,000 CASTRIES (capital) (2018)

Maternal Mortality Rate

117 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median Age

Female: 36.6 years
Male: 34.3 years
Total: 35.5 years (2018 est.)

Nationality

Adjective: Saint Lucian
Noun: Saint Lucian(s)

Net Migration Rate

-2.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

19.7% (2016)

Physicians Density

0.11 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

165,510 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.31% (2018 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 0.9%), 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

Improved Rural: 91.9% of population (2015 est.)
Improved Total: 90.5% of population (2015 est.)
Improved Urban: 84.7% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Rural: 8.1% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)
Unimproved Urban: 15.3% of population (2015 est.)

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 (2018 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.74 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

Female: 51% (2016 est.)
Male: 42.6%
Total: 46.2%

Urbanization

Rate Of Urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Urban Population: 18.8% of total population (2019)

Government

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 Only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Lucia
Dual Citizenship Recognized: yes
Residency Requirement For Naturalization: 8 years

Constitution

Amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the House of Assembly membership in the final reading and assent of the governor general; passage of amendments to various constitutional sections, such as those on fundamental rights and freedoms, government finances, the judiciary, and procedures for amending the constitution, require at least three-quarters majority vote by the House and assent of the governor general; passage of amendments approved by the House but rejected by the Senate require a majority of votes cast in a referendum (2018)
History: previous 1958, 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979

Country Name

Conventional Long Form: none
Conventional Short Form: Saint Lucia
Etymology: named after Saint LUCY of Syracuse by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on 13 December 1502, the saint's feast day

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: 1628 K Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006
Chief Of Mission: Ambassador Anton Edsel EDMUNDS (since 8 September 2017)
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 Neville CENAC (since 12 January 2018)
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 Allen CHASTANET (since 7 June 2016)

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 under a constitutional monarchy; 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 Courts: 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 4 on Saint Lucia; Saint Lucia is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice
Judge Selection And Term Of Office: chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, an 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

Description: bicameral Parliament consists of: 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) House of Assembly (17 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
Election Results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 8, women 3, percent of women 27.3% House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 54.8%, SLP 44.1%, other 1.1%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6; composition - men 14, women 3, percent of women 17.6%; note - total Parliament percent of women 21.4%
Elections: Senate - last appointments on 12 July 2016 (next in 2021) House of Assembly - last held on 6 June 2016 (next to be held in 2021)

National Anthem

Lyrics Music: Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS
Name: Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia

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 [Philip J. PIERRE] United Workers Party or UWP [Allen CHASTANET]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Economy

Agriculture Products

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

Budget

Expenditures: 392.8 million (2017 est.)
Revenues: 398.2 million (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

0.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

31 December 2009: 6.5%
31 December 2010: 6.5%

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

31 December 2016: 8.47%
31 December 2017: 8.34%

Current Account Balance

2016: -$31 million
2017: $21 million

Debt External

31 December 2015: $529 million
31 December 2017: $570.6 million

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 CHASTANET 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

2013: 2.7
2014: 2.7
2015: 2.7
2016: 2.7
2017: 2.7
Currency: East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -

Exports

2016: $188.2 million
2017: $185.1 million

Exports Commodities

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

Exports Partners

US 67.6%, UK 5.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.5% (2017)

Fiscal Year

1 April - 31 March

GDP Composition By End Use

Exports Of Goods And Services: 62.7% (2017 est.)
Government Consumption: 11.2% (2017 est.)
Household Consumption: 66.1% (2017 est.)
Imports Of Goods And Services: -56.9% (2017 est.)
Investment In Fixed Capital: 16.9% (2017 est.)
Investment In Inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)

GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin

Agriculture: 2.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 14.2% (2017 est.)
Services: 82.8% (2017 est.)

GDP Official Exchange Rate

$1.686 billion (2017 est.)

GDP Per Capita Ppp

2015: $13,800
2016: $14,200
2017: $14,400

GDP Purchasing Power Parity

2015: $2.388 billion
2016: $2.469 billion
2017: $2.542 billion

GDP Real Growth Rate

2015: -0.9%
2016: 3.4%
2017: 3%

Gross National Saving

2015: 24.3% of GDP
2016: 15.5% of GDP
2017: 19.4% of GDP

Imports

2016: $575.9 million
2017: $600 million

Imports Commodities

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

Imports Partners

US 53.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.8% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

6% (2017 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

2016: -3.1%
2017: 0.1%

Labor Force

79,700 (2012 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

Agriculture: 21.7%
Industry: 24.7%
Services: 53.6% (2002 est.)

Public Debt

2016: 69.2% of GDP
2017: 70.7% of GDP

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

31 December 2016: $320.7 million
31 December 2017: $321.8 million

Stock Of Broad Money

31 December 2016: $318.4 million
31 December 2017: $334.2 million

Stock Of Domestic Credit

31 December 2016: $1.297 billion
31 December 2017: $1.267 billion

Stock Of Narrow Money

31 December 2016: $318.4 million
31 December 2017: $334.2 million

Taxes And Other Revenues

23.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2003: 20%

Energy

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants: 19 (2017 est.)
Total: 31,781

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

Internet Country Code

.lc

Internet Users

Percent Of Population: 52.4% (July 2016 est.)
Total: 86,000

Telephone System

Domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 21 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 107 per 100 persons (2018)
General Assessment: an adequate system that is automatically switched; good interisland and international connections; broadband access; expanded FttP (Fiber to the Home) and LTE markets; regulatory development (2018)
International: country code - 1-758; landing points for the ECFS and Southern Caribbean Fiber submarine cables providing connectivity to numerous Caribbean islands; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados (2019)

Telephones Fixed Lines

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants: 21 (2017 est.)
Total Subscriptions: 35,014

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants: 107 (2017 est.)
Total Subscriptions: 176,694

Transportation

Airports

2 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1 524 To 2 437 M: 1 (2017)
2 438 To 3 047 M: 1 (2017)
Total: 2 (2017)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

J6 (2016)

Ports And Terminals

Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort

Roadways

Paved: 847 km (2011)
Total: 1,210 km (2011)
Unpaved: 363 km (2011)

Military and Security

Military And Security Forces

no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Marine Unit) (2018)

Military Note

St. Lucia is a member of the Regional Security System (RSS), an international agreement for the defense and security of the eastern Caribbean region.

Transnational Issues

Disputes International

joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/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