Statistical information Trinidad and Tobago 2015

Trinidad and Tobago in the World

Trinidad and Tobago - Introduction 2015

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Background: First colonized by the Spanish the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917 which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Independence was attained in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism mostly in Tobago is targeted for expansion and is growing. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.

Trinidad and Tobago - Geography 2015

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Location: Caribbean islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N 61 00 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 5,128 km²
Land: 5,128 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 174
Comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas asphalt

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 10.6%

arable land: 4.9%
permanent crops: 4.3%
permanent pasture: 1.4%

Forest: 44%
Other: 45.4%

Irrigated land: 36 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 3.84 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

Geography
Note: Pitch Lake on Trinidad's southwestern coast is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt

Trinidad and Tobago - People 2015

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Population: 1,222,363 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 160
Growth rate: -0.13% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 208
Below poverty line: 17% (2007 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Trinidadian Tobagonian
Adjective: Trinidadian Tobagonian

Ethnic groups: East Indian 35.4% African 34.2% mixed - other 15.3% mixed African/East Indian 7.7% other 1.3% unspecified 6.2% (2011 est.)

Languages: English (official) Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi) French Spanish Chinese

Religions: Protestant 32.1% (Pentecostal/Evangelical/Full Gospel 12% Baptist 6.9% Anglican 5.7% Seventh-Day Adventist 4.1% Presbyterian/Congretational 2.5 other Protestant .9) Roman Catholic 21.6% Hindu 18.2% Muslim 5% Jehovah's Witness 1.5% other 8.4% none 2.2% unspecified 11.1% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.41%
15-24 years: 12.59%
25-54 years: 46.59%
55-64 years: 11.59%
65 years and over: 9.83% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 43.2%
Youth dependency ratio: 29.8%
Elderly dependency ratio: 13.5%
Potential support ratio: 7.4%

Median age
Total: 35 years
Male: 34.5 years
Female: 35.5 years

Population growth rate: -0.13% (2015 est.)
Rank: 208

Birth rate: 13.46 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 148

Death rate: 8.56 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 75

Net migration rate: -6.25 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 199

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 8.4% of total population
Rate of urbanization: -1.2% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: PORT-OF-SPAIN (capital) 34,000 (2014)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from agricultural chemicals industrial wastes and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Marine Life Conservation Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male/female
15-24 years: 1.08 male/female
25-54 years: 1.08 male/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male/female
Total population: 1.03 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 23.9 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 25.11 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 22.66 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 72

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.59 years
Male: 69.69 years
Female: 75.56 years
Rank: 138

Total fertility rate: 1.71 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 171

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 42.5% (2006)

Drinking water source:

urban: 95.1% of population
rural: 95.1% of population
total: 95.1% of population
urban: 4.9% of population
rural: 4.9% of population
total: 4.9% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.18 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 2.7 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access:

urban: 91.5% of population
rural: 91.5% of population
total: 91.5% of population
urban: 8.5% of population
rural: 8.5% of population
total: 8.5% of population (2015 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.65% (2013 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 30
People living with hivaids: 14,000 (2013 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 90
Deaths: 700 (2013 est.)
Deaths rank: 74

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 32.3% (2014)
Rank: 31

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99%
Male: 99.2%
Female: 98.7%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Trinidad and Tobago - Government 2015

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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Port of Spain
Geographic coordinates: 10 39 N 61 31 W
Time difference: UTC-4

Administrative divisions: 9 regions 3 boroughs 2 cities 1 ward
Regions: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Diego Martin Mayaro/Rio Claro Penal/Debe Princes Town Sangre Grande San Juan/Laventille Siparia Tunapuna/Piarco
Borough: Arima Chaguanas Point Fortin
Cities: Port of Spain San Fernando
Ward: Tobago

Dependent areas

Independence: 31 August 1962 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 31 August (1962)

Constitution: previous 1962; latest 1976; amended many times last in 2007 (2015)

Legal system: English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Birthright citizenship: yes

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Anthony CARMONA
Head of government: Prime Minister Keith ROWLEY
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among members of Parliament
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by an electoral college of selected Senate and House of Representatives members for a 5-year term ; election last held on 15 February 2013 (next to be held by February 2018); the president usually appoints the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives as prime minister
Election results: Anthony CARMONA elected president; electoral college vote - 100%

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
Note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly
Elections: House of Representatives - last held on 7 September 2015
Election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - NA; seats by party - PNM 23 UNC 18

Judicial branch
Highest resident court: Supreme Court of the Judicature ; note - Trinidad and Tobago can file appeals beyond its Supreme Court to the Caribbean Court of Justice with final appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the parliamentary leader of the opposition; other judges appointed by the Judicial Legal Services Commission headed by the chief justice and 5 members with judicial experience; all judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement normally at age 65
Subordinate courts: Courts of Summary Criminal Jurisdiction; Petty Civil Courts; Family Court

Political parties and leaders:

Congress of the People or COP [Prakash RAMADHAR]
Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago)
Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Charles CARSON] (coalition of NAR DDPT MND)
Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]
National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]
People's National Movement or PNM [Keith ROWLEY]
Tobago Organization of the People or TOP [Ashworth JACK]
United National Congress or UNC [Kamla PERSAD-BISSESSAR]

International organization participation: ACP AOSIS C Caricom CDB CELAC EITI (compliant country) FAO G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAES MIGA NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW Pacific Alliance (observer) Paris Club (associate) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Colin MIchael CONNELLY (since 15 August 2015
In the us chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] 467-6,490
In the us FAX: [1] 785-3,130
In the us consulate general: Miami New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Margaret B. DIOP (since October 2012)
From the us embassy: 15 Queen's Park West Port of Spain
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 752 Port of Spain
From the us telephone: [1] 622-6,371 through 6,376
From the us FAX: [1] 822-5,905

Flag description

: red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side; the colors represent the elements of earth water and fire; black stands for the wealth of the land and the dedication of the people; white symbolizes the sea surrounding the islands the purity of the country's aspirations and equality; red symbolizes the warmth and energy of the sun the vitality of the land and the courage and friendliness of its people

National symbols: scarlet ibis (bird of Trinidad) cocrico (bird of Tobago) Chaconia flower; national colors: red white black

National anthem
Name: 'Forged From the Love of Liberty'
Lyrics and music: Patrick Stanislaus CASTAGNE
Note: adopted 1962; song originally created to serve as an anthem for the West Indies Federation; adopted by Trinidad and Tobago following the Federation's dissolution in 1962

National heritage

Trinidad and Tobago - Economy 2015

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Economy overview:

Trinidad and Tobago attracts considerable foreign direct investment particularly in energy and has one of the highest per capita incomes in Latin America and the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources. It also supplies manufactured goods notably food products and beverages as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports but only 5% of employment.
Growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas petrochemicals and steel with additional upstream and downstream investment planned. Oil production has declined over the last decade as the country focused the majority of its efforts on natural gas. Economic growth between 2000 and 2007 averaged slightly over 8% per year significantly above the regional average of about 3.7% for that same period; however GDP slowed down since then and contracted during 2009-12 due to depressed natural gas prices and changing markets. The current administration has been working to arrest this decline by opening bid rounds and providing fiscal incentives for investments in on-shore and deep water acreage to boost oil reserves and production. The government keeps a close watch on the changing global gas markets and has shown flexibility in diversifying natural gas export destinations. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus with the US. The US is Trinidad and Tobago's leading trade partner.
Although Trinidad and Tobago enjoys cheap electricity from natural gas the renewable energy sector has recently garnered increased interest. The country is also a regional financial center with a well-regulated and stable financial system. Other sectors the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has targeted for increased investment and projected growth include tourism agriculture information and communications technology and shipping.
The previous MANNING administration benefited from fiscal surpluses fueled by the dynamic export sector; however declines in oil and gas prices have reduced government revenues challenging the current government's commitment to maintaining high levels of public investment. Crime and bureaucratic hurdles continue to be the biggest deterrents for attracting more foreign direct investment and business.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

$43.46 billion (2014 est.)
$43.11 billion (2013 est.)
$42.37 billion (2012 est.)

Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 111

Real gdp growth rate:

0.8% (2014 est.)
1.7% (2013 est.)
1.4% (2012 est.)

Rank: 184

Real gdp per capita:

$32,200 (2014 est.)
$31,900 (2013 est.)
$31,400 (2012 est.)

Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 55

Gross national saving:

18.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
20.9% of GDP (2013 est.)
17.2% of GDP (2012 est.)

Rank: 101

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 40.2%
Government consumption: 12.2%
Investment in fixed capital: 9.1%
Investment in inventories: 0.4%
Exports of goods and services: 67.5%
Imports of goods and services: -29.4%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.5%
Industry: 14.7%
Services: 84.8%

Agriculture products: cocoa rice citrus coffee; sugar; vegetables; poultry

Industries: petroleum and petroleum products liquefied natural gas (LNG) methanol ammonia urea steel products beverages food processing cement cotton textiles

Industrial production growth rate: -3% (2014 est.)
Rank: 186

Labor force: 623,500 (2014 est.)
Rank: 155
By occupation agriculture: 3.8%
By occupation manufacturing mining and quarrying: 12.8%
By occupation construction and utilities: 20.4%
By occupation services: 62.9%

Labor force

Unemployment rate:

3.3% (2014 est.)
3.7% (2013 est.)

Rank: 27

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 17% (2007 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $9.106 billion
Expenditures: $9.53 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 81

Taxes and other revenues: 31.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 83

Public debt:

39.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
39.5% of GDP (2013 est.)

Rank: 106

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate consumer prices:

7% (2014 est.)
5.2% (2013 est.)

Rank: 194

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2010)
7.25% (31 December 2009)

Rank: 90

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.8% (31 December 2014 est.)
7.5% (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 113

Stock of narrow money:

$6.907 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$6.205 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 90

Stock of broad money:

$17.4 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$15.26 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 93

Stock of domestic credit:

$8.431 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$8.214 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 108

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$15.17 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
$14.73 billion (31 December 2011)
$12.16 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Rank: 68

Current account balance:

$1.637 billion (2014 est.)
$1.92 billion (2013 est.)

Rank: 41

Exports:

$11.73 billion (2014 est.)
$12.77 billion (2013 est.)

Rank: 90
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products liquefied natural gas methanol ammonia urea steel products beverages cereal and cereal products sugar cocoa coffee citrus fruit vegetables flowers
Partners: US 29.1% Argentina 9.3% Brazil 6.6% Chile 5.9% Peru 4.5% (2014)

Imports:

$8.904 billion (2014 est.)
$8.871 billion (2013 est.)

Rank: 108
Commodities: mineral fuels lubricants machinery transportation equipment manufactured goods food chemicals live animals
Partners: US 34.6% Brazil 7.7% Gabon 6.2% China 6.1% Russia 5% Canada 4.1% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$11.98 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$10.67 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 73

Debt external:

$4.879 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$4.676 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 124

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:

$102 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$12.44 billion (2007)

Rank: 42

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $3.829 billion (2007)
Rank: 70

Exchange rates:

Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar -
6.4041 (2014 est.)
6.4041 (2013 est.)
6.39 (2012 est.)
6.4094 (2011 est.)
6.3755 (2010 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago - Energy 2015

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Electricity
Production: 8.604 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 100
Consumption: 8.365 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 95
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 201
Imports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 206
Installed generating capacity: 2.104 million kW (2012 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 105
Generation sources fossil fuels: 99.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 40
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 186
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 205
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 113

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 81,260 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 48
Crude oil exports: 30,800 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 51
Crude oil imports: 59,180 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 54
Crude oil proven reserves: 728.3 million bbl (1 January 2015 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 44

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 109,000 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 71
Products consumption: 42,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 106
Products exports: 111,000 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products exports rank: 44
Products imports: 8,823 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products imports rank: 140

Natural gas
Production: 42.8 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 20
Consumption: 20.2 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 37
Exports: 19.8 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 14
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 138
Proven reserves: 371.2 billion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 37

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 51.27 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 58

Energy consumption per capita

Trinidad and Tobago - Communication 2015

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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 290,000
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 24
Fixed lines rank: 116
Mobile cellular total: 2 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 162
Mobile cellular rank: 152

Telephone system
General assessment: excellent international service; good local service
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 170 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 1-868; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to US and parts of the Caribbean and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat ; tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana (2011)

Broadcast media: 5 TV networks one of which is state-owned broadcast on multiple stations; multiple cable TV subscription service providers; multiple radio networks one state-owned broadcast over about 35 stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .tt
Users total: 779,900
Users percent of population: 63.7%
Users rank: 126

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Trinidad and Tobago - Military 2015

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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription; Trinidad and Tobago citizenship and completion of secondary school required (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups

Trinidad and Tobago - Transportation 2015

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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 4 (2013)
Rank: 187
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways: 1 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines: condensate 257 km; condensate/gas 11 km; gas 1567 km; oil 587 km (2013)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 8,320 km
Paved: 4,252 km
Unpaved: 4,068 km
Rank: 140

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 4
By type: passenger 1 passenger/cargo 2 petroleum tanker 1
Registered in other countries: 2 (2010)
Rank: 131

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Point Fortin Point Lisas Port of Spain Scarborough
Oil terminals: Galeota Point terminal
LNG terminal: Port Fortin

Trinidad and Tobago - Transnational issues 2015

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Disputes international: Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005 Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis

Trinidad and Tobago
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