2020 Edition

Background

First settled by the French in the early 17th century, Saint Pierre and Miquelon are the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. They attained the status of an overseas collectivity in 2003.

Area

land

242 sq km

total

242 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

1.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Climate

cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy

Coastline

120 km

Elevation

highest point

Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

46 50 N, 56 20 W

Geography - note

vegetation scanty; the islands are part of the northern Appalachians, along with Newfoundland

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

8.7% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 8.7% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)

forest

5% (2023 est.)

other

86.3% (2023 est.)

Location

Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)

Map references

North America

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard

Natural resources

fish, deepwater ports

Population distribution

most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island

Terrain

mostly barren rock

Age structure

0-14 years

13.1% (male 346/female 328)

15-64 years

61.6% (male 1,559/female 1,600)

65 years and over

25.3% (2024 est.) (male 571/female 728)

Birth rate

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

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

65.2% (2020 est.)

Death rate

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

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

42.3 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

2.4 (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio

63.3 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

21 (2025 est.)

Ethnic groups

Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Gross reproduction rate

0.79 (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

5.8 deaths/1,000 live births

male

9.6 deaths/1,000 live births

total

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

Languages

Languages

French (official)

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

84.3 years

male

79.5 years

total population

81.8 years (2024 est.)

Major urban areas - population

6,000 SAINT-PIERRE (capital) (2018)

Median age

female

51.9 years

male

50.5 years

total

51.8 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

French

noun

Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

Net migration rate

-6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population

female

2,628

male

2,442

total

5,070 (2025 est.)

Population growth rate

-1.24% (2025 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Sanitation facility access

improved: total

total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.78 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

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

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

90.1% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but 2 communes are considered second-order: Saint Pierre, Miquelon

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

etymology

may be named after Saint Peter, the patron saint of fisherman; alternatively, the name may come from one of the two navigators for whom the island as a whole is named

geographic coordinates

46 46 N, 56 11 W

name

Saint-Pierre

time difference

UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see France

Constitution

amendment process

amendment procedures of France's constitution apply

history

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Country name

conventional long form

Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

conventional short form

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

etymology

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is reputed to be named after two navigators, one called Peter and one called Michael (in a nickname form) or Mikelon, a Basque name

local long form

Département de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

local short form

Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

Dependency status

overseas collectivity of France

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of France)

Executive branch

cabinet

Le Cabinet du Préfet

chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Bruno ANDRE (since September 2023)

election results

2020: Bernard BRIAND elected President of Territorial Council; Territorial Council vote - 17 for, 2 abstentions 2017: Stephane LENORMAND elected President of Territorial Council vote - NA

election/appointment process

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 French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; Territorial Council president elected by Territorial Council councilors by absolute majority vote; term NA

head of government

President of Territorial Council Marc DIDIO (since 12 January 2026)

most recent election date

13 October 2020

Flag

description: a yellow three-masted sailing ship facing the left side rides on a blue background with wavy white lines; a black-over-white wavy line divides the ship from the white wavy lines; on the left side, a vertical band is divided into three heraldic arms: the top (called ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners and overlaid with a white cross, the middle is white with an ermine pattern, and the bottom is red with two yellow lions outlined in black meaning: the arms represent settlers from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy in France; blue symbolizes the Atlantic Ocean, and the ship represents explorer Jacques Cartier's ship when he visited the islands in 1536

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Independence

none (overseas collectivity collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)

International organization participation

UPU, WFTU (NGOs)

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Supérieur d'Appel (composition NA)

judge selection and term of office

judge selection and tenure NA

Legal system

French civil law

Legislative branch

electoral system

plurality/majority

expected date of next election

March 2028

legislative structure

unicameral

legislature name

Territorial Council (Conseil Territorial)

most recent election date

3/27/2022

number of seats

19 (directly elected)

parties elected and seats per party

AD (15); Focus on the Future (4)

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

6 years

National anthem(s)

history

official anthem, as a French collectivity

lyrics/music

Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle

title

"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)

National holiday

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

National symbol(s)

16th-century sailing ship

Political parties

Archipelago Tomorrow (Archipel Domain) or AD (affiliated with The Republicans) Focus on the Future (Cap sur l'Avenir) (affiliated with Left Radical Party) Together to Build (Ensemble pour Construire)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Economic overview

high-income, French North American territorial economy; primarily fishing exports; substantial French Government support; highly seasonal labor force; euro user; increasing tourism and aquaculture investments

Exchange rates

Currency

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2020

0.876 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.845 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.95 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.925 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2024

0.924 (2024 est.)

Exports - commodities

processed crustaceans, shellfish (2023)

Exports - partners

Canada 78%, Ireland 5%, France 5%, Djibouti 4%, UK 2% (2023)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$261.3 million (2015 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, packaged medicine, cars, plastic products, other foods (2023)

Imports - partners

France 57%, Canada 37%, Netherlands 3%, Belgium 2%, Spain 0% (2023)

Industries

fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015

$261.3 million (2015 est.)

Electricity

consumption

48.714 million kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

26,000 kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

2 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

400 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadcast media

8 TV stations, all part of the French Overseas Network, and local cable provided by SPM Telecom; 3 of 4 radio stations are part of the French Overseas Network (2021)

Internet country code

.pm

Internet users

percent of population

88.7% (2022 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

76 (2015 est.)

total subscriptions

4,800 (2015 est.)

Airports

2 (2025)

Ports

key ports

Miquelon, St. Pierre

large

0

medium

0

ports with oil terminals

1

size unknown

1

small

1

total ports

2 (2024)

very small

0

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

Carbon dioxide emissions

from petroleum and other liquids

57,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

57,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

overfishing