Map of Jersey | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency but is not part of the UK or of the EU. However the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.


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Location: Western Europe island in the English Channel northwest of France

Geographic coordinates: 49 15 N 2 10 W

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 116 km²
Land: 116 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 225
Comparative: about two-thirds the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 70 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Terrain: gently rolling plain with low rugged hills along north coast

Elevation
Mean elevation: NA
Elevation extremes: lowest point: English Channel 0 m: highest point: Les Platons 136 m

Natural resources: arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 66%
Forest: 0%
Other: 34%

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: very large tidal variation can be hazardous to navigation

Geography
Note: largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier


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Population
Distribution: fairly even distribution; no notable trends: 98,840 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 196
Growth rate: 0.78% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 135
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Channel Islander
Adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups: Jersey 46.4% British 32.7% Portuguese/Madeiran 8.2% Polish 3.3% Irish French and other white 7.1% other 2.4% (2011 est.)

Languages: English 94.5% (official) Portuguese 4.6% other 0.9% (2001 census)

Religions: Protestant (Anglican Baptist Congregational New Church Methodist Presbyterian) Roman Catholic

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.23%
15-24 years: 13.91%
25-54 years: 40.99%
55-64 years: 12.53%
65 years and over: 16.34% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 47.1
Youth dependency ratio: 21.6
Elderly dependency ratio: 25.4
Potential support ratio: 3.9 data represent the Guernsey and Jersey

Median age
Total: 38 years
Male: 36 years
Female: 40.7 years
Rank: 59

Population growth rate: 0.78% (2017 est.)
Rank: 135

Birth rate: 12.4 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 160

Death rate: 7.8 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 98

Net migration rate: 3.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 34

Population distribution: fairly even distribution; no notable trends

Urbanization
Urban population: 31.7% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.86% annual rate of change
Note: data are for Guernsey and Jersey

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: habitat and species depletion due to human encroachment; water pollution; improper solid waste disposal

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male/female
25-54 years: 1 male/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.8 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.5 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 195

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.9 years
Male: 79.5 years
Female: 84.6 years
Rank: 20

Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 176

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
Conventional short form: Jersey
Etymology: the name is of Old Norse origin but the meaning of the root 'Jer' is uncertain; the '-ey' ending means 'island'

Government type: parliamentary democracy (Assembly of the States of Jersey); a Crown dependency of the UK

Capital
Name: Saint Helier
Geographic coordinates: 49 11 N 2 06 W
Time difference: UTC 0
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government but there are 12 parishes; Grouville Saint Brelade Saint Clement Saint Helier Saint John Saint Lawrence Saint Martin Saint Mary Saint Ouen Saint Peter Saint Saviour and Trinity

Dependent areas

Independence: none (British crown dependency)

National holiday: Liberation Day 9 May (1945)

Constitution
History: unwritten; partly statutes partly common law and practice
Amendments: proposed by a government minister to the Assembly of the States of Jersey by an Assembly member or by an elected parish head; passage requires several Assembly readings a majority vote by the Assembly review by the UK Ministry of Justice and approval by the British monarch (2016)

Legal system: the laws of the UK where applicable apply; local statutes

International law organization participation

Citizenship: see United Kingdom

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II ; represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Stephen DALTON (since 13 March 2017) 2017
Head of government: Chief Minister Ian GORST ; Bailiff William BAILHACHE (since 29 January 2015)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed individually by the states
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; Council of Ministers including the chief minister indirectly elected by the Assembly of States; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Assembly of the States of Jersey
Elections: last held on 15 October 2014
Election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 49

Judicial branch
Highest court: Jersey Court of Appeal ; Royal Court (consists of the bailiff deputy bailiff 6 commissioners and lay people referred to as jurats and is organized into Heritage Family Probate and Samedi Divisions); appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committe of the Priviy Council in London
Judge selection and term of office: Jersey Court of Appeal bailiffs and judges appointed by the Crown upon the advice of the Secretary of State for Justice; bailiffs and judges appointed for extent of good behavior; Royal Court bailiffs appointed by the Crown upon the advice of the Secretary of State for Justice; commissioners appointed by the bailiff; jurats appointed by the Electoral College; bailiffs and commissioners appointed for extent of good behavior; jurats appointed until retirement at age 72
Subordinate courts: Magistrate's Court; Youth Court; Petty Debts Court; Parish Hall Enquires

Political parties and leaders
One registered party: Reform Jersey [Sam MEZEC]
Note: most senators and deputies sit as independents

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (British Crown dependency)
From the us: none (British Crown dependency)

Flag description: white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant surmounted by a yellow crown a red shield with three lions in yellow; according to tradition the ships of Jersey - in an attempt to differentiate themselves from English ships flying the horizontal cross of St. George - rotated the cross to the 'X' (saltire) configuration; because this arrangement still resembled the Irish cross of St. Patrick the yellow Plantagenet crown and Jersey coat of arms were added

National symbols: Jersey cow; national colors: red white

National anthem
Name: 'Isle de Siez Nous'
Lyrics and music: Gerard LE FEUVRE
Note: adopted 2008; serves as a local anthem; as a British Crown dependency 'God Save the Queen' is official

National heritage


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Economy overview: Jersey's economy is based on international financial services agriculture and tourism. In 2010 the financial services sector accounted for about 50% of the island's output. Potatoes cauliflower tomatoes and especially flowers are important export crops shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Tourism accounts for one-quarter of GDP. Living standards come close to those of the UK. In recent years the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey with the result that an electronics industry has developed displacing more traditional industries. All raw material and energy requirements are imported as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. In October 2014 Jersey signed an OECD agreement to automatically exchange some financial account information to limit tax avoidance and evasion.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 172

Real gdp growth rate: 2% (2015 est.)
Rank: 134

Real gdp per capita: $49,500 (2015 est.)
Rank: 27

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2%
Industry: 2%
Services: 96%

Agriculture products: potatoes cauliflower tomatoes; beef dairy products

Industries: tourism banking and finance dairy electronics

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 53,380 (June 2012)
Rank: 190

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 46

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

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

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $829 million
Expenditures: $851 million
Surplus or deficit: -0.5% of GDP (2005)
Surplus or deficit rank: 56

Taxes and other revenues: 17.3% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 171

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.7% (2006)
Rank: 158

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance

Exports: $N/A
Commodities: light industrial and electrical goods dairy cattle foodstuffs textiles flowers

Imports: $N/A
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactured goods foodstuffs mineral fuels chemicals

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100%
Consumption: 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.)
Consumption rank: 166

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 55,938
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 58
Fixed lines rank: 148
Mobile cellular total: 122,668
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 119
Mobile cellular rank: 194

Telephone system
General assessment: modern system with broadband access
Domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular services widely available
International: country code - 44; submarine cable connectivity to Guernsey the UK and France

Broadcast media: multiple UK terrestrial TV broadcasts are received via a transmitter in Jersey; satellite packages available; BBC Radio Jersey and 1 other radio station operating (2009)

Internet
Country code: .je
Users total: 58,000
Users percent of population: 59.6%
Users rank: 197

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11 (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 223
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 576 km
Rank: 193

Waterways

Merchant marine
Registered in other countries: 14 (2010)
Rank: 102

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Gorey Saint Aubin Saint Helier


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons

Illicit drugs