Statistics Saint Lucia 
Saint Lucia in the World
Saint Lucia - Introduction 2017
top of pageBackground: The island with its fine natural harbor at Castries 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. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834 Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.
Area
Total: 616 km²
Land: 606 km²
Water: 10 km²
Rank: 193
Comparative: three and a half times the size of Washington DC
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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
Elevation
Mean elevation: NA
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m: highest point: Mount Gimie 948 m
Land use
Agricultural land: 17.4%
arable land: 4.9%
permanent crops: 11.5%
permanent pasture: 1%
permanent crops: 11.5%
permanent pasture: 1%
Forest: 77%
Other: 5.6%
Natural hazards: hurricanes
Volcanism: Mount Gimie 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
Saint Lucia - People 2017
top of pagePopulation
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: 164,994 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 187
Growth rate: 0.32% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 170
Below poverty line: NA%
Ethnic groups: black/African descent 85.3% mixed 10.9% East Indian 2.2% other 1.6% unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)
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.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 20.02%
15-24 years: 15.37%
25-54 years: 42.97%
55-64 years: 9.99%
65 years and over: 11.65% (2017 est.)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 41.1
Youth dependency ratio: 27.9
Elderly dependency ratio: 13.3
Potential support ratio: 7.5
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: 18.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change
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
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male/female
25-54 years: 0.93 male/female
55-64 years: 0.86 male/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female
Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.9 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 10.4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.4 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 129
Drinking water source:
urban: 99.5% of population
rural: 95.6% of population
total: 96.3% of population
urban: 0.5% of population
rural: 4.4% of population
total: 3.7% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 95.6% of population
total: 96.3% of population
urban: 0.5% of population
rural: 4.4% of population
total: 3.7% of population (2015 est.)
Sanitation facility access:
urban: 84.7% of population
rural: 91.9% of population
total: 90.5% of population
urban: 15.3% of population
rural: 8.1% of population
total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 91.9% of population
total: 90.5% of population
urban: 15.3% of population
rural: 8.1% of population
total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)
Major infectious diseases
Note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country ; it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex via blood transfusion or during pregnancy in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)
Saint Lucia - Government 2017
top of pageCountry 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 saint's feast day
Government type: parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Anse-la-Raye Canaries Castries Choiseul Dennery Gros-Islet Laborie Micoud Soufriere Vieux-Fort
Constitution: previous 1958 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978 effective 22 February 1979; note - in mid-2015 an amendment was proposed to replace the London-based Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice as the country's highest appellate court (2016)
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Lucia
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years
Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II ; represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)
Head of government: Prime Minister Allen CHASTANET
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: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: House of Assembly - last held on 6 June 2016
Election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 54.8% SLP 44.1% other 1.1%; seats by party - UWP 11 SLP 6
Judicial branch
Highest court: the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court 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 hears appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside at 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: magistrate's 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]
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
In the us chancery: 3,216 New Mexico Avenue NW Washington DC 20,016
In the us telephone: [1] 364-6,792 through 6,795
In the us FAX: [1] 364-6,723
In the us consulate general: 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'
Lyrics and music: Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS
Note: adopted 1967
Saint Lucia - Economy 2017
top of pageEconomy overview:
The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. Tourism is Saint Lucia's main source of jobs and income - accounting for 65% of GDP - and the island's main source of foreign exchange earnings. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area. Crops such as bananas mangos and avocados continue to be grown for export but St. Lucia's once solid banana industry has been devastated by strong competition.
Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks including volatile tourism receipts natural disasters and dependence on foreign oil. Furthermore high public debt - 77% of GDP in 2012 - and high debt servicing obligations constrain the CHASTANET administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks.
St. Lucia has experienced anemic growth since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008 largely because of a slowdown in tourism - airlines cut back on their routes to St. Lucia in 2012. Also St. Lucia introduced a value added tax in 2012 of 15% becoming the last country in the Eastern Caribbean to do so. In 2013 the government introduced a National Competitiveness and Productivity Council to address St. Lucia's high public wages and lack of productivity.
Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks including volatile tourism receipts natural disasters and dependence on foreign oil. Furthermore high public debt - 77% of GDP in 2012 - and high debt servicing obligations constrain the CHASTANET administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks.
St. Lucia has experienced anemic growth since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008 largely because of a slowdown in tourism - airlines cut back on their routes to St. Lucia in 2012. Also St. Lucia introduced a value added tax in 2012 of 15% becoming the last country in the Eastern Caribbean to do so. In 2013 the government introduced a National Competitiveness and Productivity Council to address St. Lucia's high public wages and lack of productivity.
Real gdp purchasing power parity:
$2.306 billion (2016 est.)
$2.254 billion (2015 est.)
$2.187 billion (2014 est.)
$2.254 billion (2015 est.)
$2.187 billion (2014 est.)
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 194
Real gdp per capita:
$13,300 (2016 est.)
$13,200 (2015 est.)
$13,000 (2014 est.)
$13,200 (2015 est.)
$13,000 (2014 est.)
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 128
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 71.8%
Government consumption: 14.7%
Investment in fixed capital: 18%
Investment in inventories: 0.1%
Exports of goods and services: 38.7%
Imports of goods and services: -43.2%
Industries: tourism; clothing assembly of electronic components beverages corrugated cardboard boxes lime processing coconut processing
Labor force: 79,700 (2012 est.)
Rank: 184
By occupation agriculture: 21.7%
By occupation industry: 24.7%
By occupation services: 53.6%
Budget
Revenues: $390.6 million
Expenditures: $418.2 million
Surplus or deficit: -2% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 90
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8.5% (31 December 2016 est.)
8.86% (31 December 2015 est.)
8.86% (31 December 2015 est.)
Rank: 97
Stock of narrow money:
$318.4 million (31 December 2016 est.)
$284.8 million (31 December 2015 est.)
$284.8 million (31 December 2015 est.)
Rank: 177
Stock of broad money:
$1.157 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$1.131 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$1.131 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Rank: 171
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.332 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$1.399 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$1.399 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Rank: 161
Exports:
$188.2 million (2016 est.)
$193.2 million (2015 est.)
$193.2 million (2015 est.)
Rank: 187
Commodities: bananas 41% clothing cocoa avocados mangoes coconut oil (2010 est.)
Partners: US 48.8% Trinidad and Tobago 14.1% UK 11.2% Maldives 4.7% (2016)
Imports:
$404.1 million (2016 est.)
$421.7 million (2015 est.)
$421.7 million (2015 est.)
Rank: 195
Commodities: food manufactured goods machinery and transportation equipment chemicals fuels
Partners: US 39.8% Trinidad and Tobago 18% UK 6.7% Japan 4% (2016)
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -
2.7 (2016 est.)
2.7 (2015 est.)
2.7 (2014 est.)
2.7 (2013 est.)
2.7 (2012 est.))
2.7 (2016 est.)
2.7 (2015 est.)
2.7 (2014 est.)
2.7 (2013 est.)
2.7 (2012 est.))
Saint Lucia - Energy 2017
top of pageElectricity
Access population without electricity: 16,446
Access electrification total population: 91%
Access electrification urban areas: 100%
Access electrification rural areas: 80%
Production: 358 million kWh (2015 est.)
Production rank: 174
Consumption: 332.9 million kWh (2015 est.)
Consumption rank: 178
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 199
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 203
Installed generating capacity: 89,000 kW (2015 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 179
Generation sources fossil fuels: 98.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 33
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 184
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 205
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 136
Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 196
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 193
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 191
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 195
Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products production rank: 199
Products consumption: 3,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 186
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products exports rank: 199
Products imports: 3,058 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products imports rank: 178
Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 196
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 132
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 184
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 189
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 196
Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 400,000 Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 188
Saint Lucia - Communication 2017
top of pageTelephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 35,003
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21
Fixed lines rank: 171
Mobile cellular total: 176,648
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107
Mobile cellular rank: 181
Telephone system
General assessment: an adequate system that is automatically switched
Domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 20 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 105 per 100 persons
International: country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber System and Southern Caribbean Fiber submarine cables along with Intelsat from Martinique carry calls internationally; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados
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 (2007)
Saint Lucia - Military 2017
top of pageMilitary service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary security service; no national army (2012)
Saint Lucia - Transportation 2017
top of pageAirports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 204
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
Saint Lucia - Transnational issues 2017
top of pageDisputes 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
Illicit drugs
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons: transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe
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