Map of Turks and Caicos Islands | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate Crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed, and the islands remain a British overseas territory. Grand Turk Island suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 948 km²
Land: 948 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 389 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry

Terrain: low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps

Elevation
Highest point: Blue Hill on Providenciales and Flamingo Hill on East Caicos 48 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

Land use
Agricultural land: 1.1% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 1.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
Forest: 11.1% (2023 est.)
Other: 87.9% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: frequent hurricanes

Geography
Note: include eight large islands and numerous smaller cays, islets, and reefs; only two of the Caicos Islands and six of the Turks group are inhabited


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Population
Total: 60,439 (2024 est.)
Male: 30,389
Female: 30,050
Distribution: eight of the thirty islands are inhabited; the island of Providenciales is the most populated, but the most densely populated is Grand Turk
Growth rate: 1.77% (2024 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages: English (official)

Religions: Protestant 72.8% (Baptist 35.8%, Church of God 11.7%, Anglican 10%, Methodist 9.3%, Seventh Day Adventist 6%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Jehovah's Witness 1.8%, other 14% (2006 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 20.4% (male 6,288/female 6,056)
15-64 years: 73.2% (male 22,232/female 22,011)
65 years and over: 6.4% (2024 est.) (male 1,869/female 1,983)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 36.6 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 27.9 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 8.7 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 11.5 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 36.5 years
Female: 36.1 years

Population growth rate: 1.77% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 3.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution: eight of the thirty islands are inhabited; the island of Providenciales is the most populated, but the most densely populated is Grand Turk

Urbanization
Urban population: 94.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 5,000 GRAND TURK (capital) (2018)

Environment

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 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: 11.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 13.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 8.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 78.5 years
Female: 84.1 years

Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.8% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 8.2% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 1.2% of population (2022 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 1.2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 2.3% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 1.3% 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: 0.4% (2020 est.)

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type

Capital
Name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
Geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W
Time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
Etymology: named after Sir Francis COCKBURN, who served as governor of the Bahamas from 1837 to 1844

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system: mixed system of English common law and civil law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Dileeni Daniel-SELVARATNAM (since 29 June 2023)
Head of government: Premier Washington MISICK (since 19 February 2021)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor from among members of the House of Assembly
Election/appointment process: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the governor appoints the leader of the majority party as the premier

Legislative branch
Legislature name: House of Assembly
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 21 (directly elected or appointed)
Electoral system: mixed
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 4 years
Most recent election date: 2/07/2025
Parties elected and seats per party: PNP (16); PDM (2); independents (1)
Percentage of women in chamber: 27.3%
Expected date of next election: 2,029

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the right half of the flag; the shield is yellow and displays a conch shell, a spiny lobster, and Turk's cap cactus

National symbols

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

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5.6% (2024 est.); 13.7% (2023 est.); 14.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 5.6% (2024 est.); 13.7% (2023 est.); 14.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.4% (2024 est.)
Industry: 9.3% (2024 est.)
Services: 72.6% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products

Industries: tourism, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate: 9% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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
Revenues: $247.3 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: $224.3 million (2017 est.)

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: $826.824 million (2018 est.); $602.581 million (2017 est.); $741.173 million (2016 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: plastics, shellfish, carbonates, tobacco, garments (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $544.219 million (2018 est.); $484.842 million (2017 est.); $438.041 million (2016 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: refined petroleum, cars, aluminum structures, furniture, plastic products (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: 94,000 kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 252.088 million kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 12.912 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 99.9% (2022 est.)
Access electrification - urban areas: 100%
Access electrification - rural areas: 100%
Generation sources fossil fuels: 98.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 3,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions: 447,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 447,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4,000 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 25,085 (2004 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2004 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Users percent of population: 93.5% (2022)

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

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 9 (2025)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 3 (2023)
By type: general cargo 1, other 2

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs