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

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Background: Spain reluctantly ceded the strategically important Gibraltar to Great Britain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, and the British garrison at Gibraltar was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. After the UK granted Gibraltar autonomy in 1969, Spain closed the border and severed all communication links. Between 1997 and 2002, the UK and Spain held a series of talks on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar. In response to these talks, the Gibraltar Government called a referendum in 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted overwhelmingly against sharing sovereignty with Spain. Since 2004, Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar have held tripartite talks to resolve problems that affect the local population, and work continues on cooperation agreements in areas such as taxation and financial services, communications and maritime security, legal and customs services, environmental protection, and education and visa services. A new noncolonial constitution came into force in 2007, and the European Court of First Instance recognized Gibraltar's right to regulate its own tax regime in 2008. The UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign relations, internal security, and financial stability. Spain and the UK continue to spar over the territory. In 2009, for example, a dispute over Gibraltar's claim to territorial waters extending out three miles gave rise to periodic non-violent maritime confrontations between Spanish and UK naval patrols. Spain renewed its demands for an eventual return of Gibraltar to Spanish control after the UK’s 2016 vote to leave the EU, but London has dismissed any connection between the vote and its sovereignty over Gibraltar.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 7 km²
Land: 6.5 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: more than 10 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries
Total: 1.2 km
Border countries (1): (1) Spain 1.2 km

Coastline: 12 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers

Terrain: a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar

Elevation
Highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m
Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Natural resources

Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.)
Forest: 0% (2022 est.)
Other: 100% (2022 est.)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: occasional droughts; no streams or large bodies of water on the peninsula (all potable water comes from desalination)

Geography
Note: strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea


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Population
Total: 29,683 (2024 est.)
Male: 14,919
Female: 14,764
Growth rate: 0.17% (2024 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages: English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese

Religions: Roman Catholic 72.1%, Church of England 7.7%, other Christian 3.8%, Muslim 3.6%, Jewish 2.4%, Hindu 2%, other 1.1%, none 7.1%, unspecified 0.1% (2012 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 20% (male 3,045/female 2,895)
15-64 years: 62.5% (male 9,383/female 9,179)
65 years and over: 17.5% (2024 est.) (male 2,491/female 2,690)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 59.9 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 32 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 27.9 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.6 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 36.2 years
Female: 37.5 years

Population growth rate: 0.17% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 13.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.45% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 35,000 GIBRALTAR (capital) (2018)

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 78.1 years
Female: 83.8 years

Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Hiv/Aids

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

Government type

Capital
Name: Gibraltar
Geographic coordinates: 36 08 N, 5 21 W
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Etymology: from the Spanish derivation of the Arabic jabal tariq, which means 'Mountain of Tariq' and refers to the Berber chief who captured the peninsula in A.D. 711

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system: the laws of the UK apply

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Sir David STEEL (since 11 June 2020)
Head of government: Chief Minister Fabian PICARDO (since 9 December 2011)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 17 elected members of Parliament by the governor, in consultation with the chief minister
Election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the governor usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as chief minister

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Parliament
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 18 (17 directly elected, 1 appointed)
Electoral system: plurality/majority
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 4 years
Most recent election date: 10/12/2023
Parties elected and seats per party: GSLP-Liberal Alliance (9) (GSLP 7, LPG 2); GSD (8)
Percentage of women in chamber: 38.5%
Expected date of next election: October 2,027

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: two horizontal bands of white (top, double-width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; a gold key hangs from the castle gate and is centered in the red band

National symbols

National anthem
Title: 'God Save the King'
Lyrics/music: unknown
History: official anthem, as an overseas UK territory

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products

Industries: tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force

Unemployment rate

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

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
Commodities: refined petroleum, natural gas, ships, cars, scrap iron (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports
Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, coal tar oil, natural gas, ships (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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
Installed generating capacity: 50,000 kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 213.744 million kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 6.256 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 91,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Consumption: 77.196 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 77.196 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 15.608 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 15.458 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 150,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 17,000 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 46 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 37,000 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 112 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Users percent of population: 94% (2016 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 23,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 61 (2022 est.)


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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

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2025)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 129 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 8, container ship 5, general cargo 31, oil tanker 16, other 69

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs