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

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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.


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

Geographic coordinates: 13 53 N, 60 58 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 616 km²
Land: 606 km²
Water: 10 km²
Rank: 192
Comparative: three and a half times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 158 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

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

Terrain: volcanic and mountainous with broad, fertile valleys

Elevation
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Mount Gimie 948 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 17.4% (2011 est.)
Forest: 77% (2011 est.)
Other: 5.6% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

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

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


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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: 166,487 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 186
Growth rate: 0.29% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 171
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: Saint Lucian(s)
Adjective: Saint Lucian

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

Languages: English (official), French patois

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.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.24% (male 16,484/female 15,546)
15-24 years: 13.6% (male 11,475/female 11,165)
25-54 years: 42.83% (male 34,436/female 36,868)
55-64 years: 11.23% (male 8,624/female 10,075)
65 years and over: 13.1% (male 9,894/female 11,920) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 39.4
Youth dependency ratio: 25
Elderly dependency ratio: 14.4
Potential support ratio: 7 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.9 years
Male: 35.7 years
Female: 38 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 75

Population growth rate: 0.29% (2020 est.)
Rank: 171

Birth rate: 12.5 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 154

Death rate: 8.1 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 90

Net migration rate: -1.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 159

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

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

Major urban areas
Population: 22,000 CASTRIES (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
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
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.1 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 9.8 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 10.4 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 129

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.5 years
Male: 75.7 years
Female: 81.4 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 66

Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 166

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 55.5% (2011/12)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4.5% (2017)

Physicians density: 0.64 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 4.4% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0.8% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2018)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 64
People living with hivaids note: <1000 (2018)
Deaths note: <100 (2018)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 19.7% (2016)
Rank: 111

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.8% (2012)
Rank: 104

Education expenditures: 3.3% of GDP (2018)
Rank: 123

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 13 years (2019)

Youth unemployment


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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 saints feast day; Saint Lucia is the only country named specifically after a woman
Note: pronounced saynt-looshya

Government type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital
Name: Castries
Geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 61 00 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: in 1785, the village of Carenage was renamed Castries, after Charles Eugene Gabriel de La Croix de Castries (1727-1801), who was then the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 22 February 1979 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

Constitution
History: previous 1958, 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979
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

Legal system: English common law

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

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Neville CENAC (since 12 January 2018)
Head of government: Prime Minister Allen CHASTANET (since 7 June 2016)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Electionsappointments: 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

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

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: magistrates court

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]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Anton Edsel EDMUNDS (since 8 September 2017)
In the us chancery: 1628 K Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20,006
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 364-6,792 through 6,795
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 364-6,723
In the us consulate: New York
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

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

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

National anthem
Name: Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia
Lyricsmusic: Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS
Note: adopted 1967

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 100

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 98

Gross national saving:
Rank: 102

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 66.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 11.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 16.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 62.7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -56.9% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 14.2% (2017 est.)
Services: 82.8% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

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

Industrial production growth rate: 6% (2017 est.)
Rank: 42

Labor force: 79,700 (2012 est.)
Rank: 182
By occupation agriculture: 21.7%
By occupation industry: 24.7%
By occupation services: 53.6% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate: 20% (2003 est.)
Rank: 190

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 398.2 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 392.8 million (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 0.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 41

Taxes and other revenues: 23.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 125

Public debt:
Rank: 49

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 24

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

Current account balance:
Rank: 60

Exports:
Rank: 193
Partners: US 67.6%, UK 5.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.5% (2017)
Commodities: bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, avocados, mangoes, coconut oil (2010 est.)

Imports:
Rank: 196
Commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels
Partners: US 53.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.8% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 166

Debt external:
Rank: 175

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 99.5% (2018)
Access electrification urban areas: 97.5% (2018)
Access electrification rural areas: 99.9% (2018)
Production: 369 million kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 174
Consumption: 343.2 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 181
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 189
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 191
Installed generating capacity: 89,000 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 180
Generation sources fossil fuels: 99% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 24
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 173
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 196
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 165

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 192
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 185
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 187
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 187

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 194
Products consumption: 3,100 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 187
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 195
Products imports: 3,113 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 184

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 189
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 191
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 174
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 180
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 186

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 437,900 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 186

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 33,285
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20.05 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 169
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 168,797
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 101.68 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 187

Telephone system

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
Users total: 84,112
Users percent of population: 50.82% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 180

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 32,265
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19 (2018 est.)
Rank: 140


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Military expenditures

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

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: J6 (2016)

Airports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 203
With paved runways total: 2 (2019)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 1210 km (2011)
Paved: 847 km (2011)
Unpaved: 363 km (2011)
Rank: 179

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort


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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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

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