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

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Background: The Siboney were the first people to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2,400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when Christopher COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early Spanish and French settlements were succeeded by an English colony in 1667. Slavery, to provide labor on the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Barbuda devastating the island and forcing the evacuation of the population to Antigua. Almost all of the structures on Barbuda were destroyed and the vegetation stripped, but Antigua was spared the worst.


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Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates: 17 03 N, 61 48 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 443 km² (Antigua 280 km²; Barbuda 161 km²)
Land: 443 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes Redonda, 1.6 km²
Comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 153 km

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

Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas

Elevation
Highest point: Mount Obama 402 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism

Land use
Agricultural land: 20.5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 18.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 60.8% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 1.3 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 7.2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 2.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 1.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 52 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts

Geography
Note: Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor


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Population
Distribution: the island of Antigua is home to approximately 97% of the population; nearly the entire population of Barbuda lives in Codrington: 100,335 (2022 est.)
Growth rate: 1.15% (2022 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
Adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan

Ethnic groups: African descent 87.3%, mixed 4.7%, Hispanic 2.7%, White 1.6%, other 2.7%, unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)
Note: data represent population by ethnic group

Languages: English (official), Antiguan Creole (an English-based creole)

Religions: Protestant 68.3% (Anglican 17.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.4%, Pentecostal 12.2%, Moravian 8.3%, Methodist 5.6%, Wesleyan Holiness 4.5%, Church of God 4.1%, Baptist 3.6%), Roman Catholic 8.2%, other 12.2%, unspecified 5.5%, none 5.9% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 22.52% (male 11,243/female 10,871)
15-24 years: 16.15% (male 7,891/female 7,961)
25-54 years: 41.68% (male 18,757/female 22,167)
55-64 years: 10.74% (male 4,693/female 5,848)
65 years and over: 8.91% (male 3,736/female 5,012) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 40.9
Youth dependency ratio: 26.5
Elderly dependency ratio: 14.4
Potential support ratio: 7 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 32.7 years
Male: 30.7 years
Female: 34.4 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.15% (2022 est.)

Birth rate: 15.16 births/1000 population (2022 est.)

Death rate: 5.65 deaths/1000 population (2022 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.03 migrant(s)/1000 population (2022 est.)

Population distribution: the island of Antigua is home to approximately 97% of the population; nearly the entire population of Barbuda lives in Codrington

Urbanization
Urban population: 24.3% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 21,000 SAINT JOHN'S (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: water management - a major concern because of limited natural freshwater resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 17.92 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 0.56 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 0.22 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.85 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.8 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.3 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 17.27 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.17 deaths/1000 live births (2022 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.8 years
Male: 75.63 years
Female: 80.08 years (2022 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.95 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved:
Unimproved:

Current health expenditure: 4.4% of GDP (2019)

Physicians density: 2.76 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 2.9 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved: total: 91.7% of population
Unimproved: total: 8.1% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 18.9% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 11.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 2.97 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 3.95 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 4.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 3.8% of GDP (202 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
Total population: 99%
Male: 98.4%
Female: 99.4% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 16 years (2012)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
Etymology: "antiguo" is Spanish for "ancient" or "old"; the island was discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and, according to tradition, named by him after the church of Santa Maria la Antigua (Old Saint Mary's) in Seville; "barbuda" is Spanish for "bearded" and the adjective may refer to the alleged beards of the indigenous people or to the island's bearded fig trees

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

Capital
Name: Saint John's
Geographic coordinates: 17 07 N, 61 51 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: named after Saint John the Apostle

Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 November 1981 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest presented 31 July 1981, effective 31 October 1981 (The Antigua and Barbuda Constitution Order 1981)
Amendments: proposed by either house of Parliament; passage of amendments to constitutional sections such as citizenship, fundamental rights and freedoms, the establishment, power, and authority of the executive and legislative branches, the Supreme Court Order, and the procedure for amending the constitution requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the membership of both houses, approval by at least two-thirds majority in a referendum, and assent to by the governor general; passage of other amendments requires only two-thirds majority vote by both houses; amended 2009, 2011, 2018

Legal system: common law based on the English model

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

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descentonly: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Rodney WILLIAMS (since 14 August 2014)
Head of government: Prime Minister Gaston BROWNE (since 13 June 2014)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Elections and appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
Senate (17 seats; members appointed by the governor general)
House of Representatives (18 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: 
Senate - last appointed on 26 March 2018 (next NA)
House of Representatives - last held on 21 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2023)
Election results: 
Senate - composition - men 8, women 9, percent of women 52.9%
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - ABLP 59.4%, UPP 37.2%, BPM 1.4%, other 1.9% ; seats by party - ABLP 15, UPP 1, BPM 1; composition - men 16, women 2, percent of women 11.1%; note - total Parliament percent of women 31.4%

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, travelling 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 2 assigned to Antigua and Barbuda
Judge selection and term of office: chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; 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: Industrial Court; Magistrates' Courts

Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party or ABLP [Gaston BROWNE]
Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Trevor WALKER]
Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Joanne MASSIAH]
Go Green for Life or GGL [Owen GEORGE]
United Progressive Party or UPP [Harold LOVELL]

International organization participation: ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Ronald SANDERS (since 17 September 2015)
In the us chancery: 3,234 Prospect Street NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 362-5,122
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 362-5,225
In the us email address and website: 
embantbar@aol.com
In the us consulate(s)general: Miami, New York
From the us embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda; [1] (246) 227-4,000

Flag description: red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band; the sun symbolizes the dawn of a new era, black represents the African heritage of most of the population, blue is for hope, and red is for the dynamism of the people; the "V" stands for victory; the successive yellow, blue, and white coloring is also meant to evoke the country's tourist attractions of sun, sea, and sand

National symbols: fallow deer; national colors: red, white, blue, black, yellow

National anthem
Name: Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee
Lyrics and music: Novelle Hamilton RICHARDS/Walter Garnet Picart CHAMBERS
Note: adopted 1967; as a Commonwealth country, in addition to the national anthem, "God Save the King" serves as the royal anthem (see United Kingdom)

National heritage
Total world heritage sites: 1 (cultural)
Selected world heritage site locales:


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Economy overview

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

Real gdp growth rate:

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

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 53.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 15.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 73.9% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -66.5% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 20.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 77.3% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: tropical fruit, milk, mangoes/guavas, melons, tomatoes, pineapples, lemons, limes, eggplants, onions

Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)

Industrial production growth rate: 6.8% (2017 est.)

Labor force: 30,000 (1991)
By occupation agriculture: 7%
By occupation industry: 11%
By occupation services: 82% (1983 est.)

Unemployment rate: 11% (2014 est.)

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: $298.2 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $334 million (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: $-2.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 19.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:

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:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: Poland 37%, Suriname 33%, United Arab Emirates 8% (2019)
Commodities: ships, refined petroleum, precious/semi-precious metal scraps, rice, corn (2019)

Imports:
Partners: United States 39%, Poland 16%, China 7% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, ships, cars, precious/semi-precious metals, recreational boats (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external:

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% (2020)
Installed generating capacity: 117,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 278 million kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission distribution losses: 65 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 95.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 4.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 5,000 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 91 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 5,065 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 729,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 729,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 107.154 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 27,000 (2020 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 28 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 184,000 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 188 (2020 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: state-controlled Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service (ABS) operates 1 TV station; multi-channel cable TV subscription services are available; ABS operates 1 radio station; roughly 15 radio stations, some broadcasting on multiple frequencies

Internet
Country code: .ag
Users total: 73,807 (2019 est.)
Users percent of population: 76% (2019 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 8,000 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures: not available

Military and security forces: Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (ABDF): Coast Guard and the Antigua and Barbuda Regiment (2022)

Military service age and obligation: 18-23 years of age for voluntary military service for both men and women; no conscription (2022)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 10
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 580,174 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 290,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: V2

Airports
Total: 3 (2021)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2021)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2021)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 1,170 km (2011)
Paved: 386 km (2011)
Unpaved: 784 km (2011)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 677
By type: bulk carrier 24, container ship 123, general cargo 473, oil tanker 2, other 55 (2021)

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Saint John's


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Disputes international: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: a transit point for cocaine and marijuana destined for North America, Europe, and elsewhere in the Caribbean