Background: Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on Saint Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the UK for most of the 18th century the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.

Geographic coordinates: 13 15 N 61 12 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 389 km²
Land: 389 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 205
Comparative: twice the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 84 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain: volcanic mountainous

Elevation
Mean elevation: NA
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m: highest point: La Soufriere 1234 m

Natural resources: hydropower arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 25.6%
Forest: 68.7%
Other: 5.7%

Irrigated land: 10 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: hurricanes; La Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat
Volcanism: La Soufriere on the island of Saint Vincent last erupted in 1979; the island of Saint Vincent 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 administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays

Population
Distribution: most of the population is concentrated in and around the capital of Kingstown: 102,089 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 195
Growth rate: -0.25% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 218
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian
Adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian

Ethnic groups: black 66% mixed 19% East Indian 6% European 4% Carib Amerindian 2% other 3%

Languages: English French patois

Religions: Protestant 75% (Anglican 47% Methodist 28%) Roman Catholic 13% other (includes Hindu Seventh-Day Adventist other Protestant) 12%

Age structure
0-14 years: 21.3%
15-24 years: 15.97%
25-54 years: 42.66%
55-64 years: 10.64%
65 years and over: 9.42% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 46.8
Youth dependency ratio: 36
Elderly dependency ratio: 10.8
Potential support ratio: 9.3

Median age
Total: 33.6 years
Male: 33.8 years
Female: 33.4 years
Rank: 89

Population growth rate: -0.25% (2017 est.)
Rank: 218

Birth rate: 13.2 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 146

Death rate: 7.3 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 121

Net migration rate: -8.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 209

Population distribution: most of the population is concentrated in and around the capital of Kingstown

Urbanization
Urban population: 51.2% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.7% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: KINGSTOWN (capital) 27,000 (2014)

Environment
Current issues: pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive
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 Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male/female
15-24 years: 1.02 male/female
25-54 years: 1.08 male/female
55-64 years: 1.06 male/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male/female
Total population: 1.03 male/female

Infant mortality rate
Total: 12 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 13.1 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 10.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 121

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.5 years
Male: 73.5 years
Female: 77.6 years
Rank: 104

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 151

Drinking water source:

Hospital bed density: 5.2 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

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)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 23.7% (2016)
Rank: 64

Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 69

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Etymology: Saint Vincent was named by explorer Christopher COLUMBUS after Saint VINCENT of Saragossa because the 22 January 1498 day of discovery was the saint's feast day

Government type: parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital
Name: Kingstown
Geographic coordinates: 13 08 N 61 13 W
Time difference: UTC-4

Administrative divisions: 6 parishes; Charlotte Grenadines Saint Andrew Saint David Saint George Saint Patrick

Independence: 27 October 1979 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 27 October (1979)

Constitution: several previous; latest passed by the House of Assembly 3 September 2009 (The Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Constitution Act 2009) (2016)

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: at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II ; represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES
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 usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral House of Assembly
Elections: last held on 9 December 2015
Election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 52.3% NDP 47.4% other 0.3%; seats by party - ULP 8 NDP 7

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 hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside at the member states with 2 assigned to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; note - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is also 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' courts

Political parties and leaders:

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lou-Anne Gaylene GILCHRIST
In the us chancery: 3,216 New Mexico Avenue NW Washington DC 20,016
In the us telephone: [1] 364-6,730
In the us FAX: [1] 364-6,736
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Flag description: three vertical bands of blue (hoist side) gold (double width) and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern which stands for Vincent; the diamonds recall the islands as 'the Gems of the Antilles' and are set slightly lowered in the gold band to reflect the nation's position in the Antilles; blue conveys the colors of a tropical sky and crystal waters yellow signifies the golden Grenadine sands and green represents lush vegetation

National symbols: Saint Vincent parrot; national colors: blue gold green

National anthem
Name: 'St. Vincent! Land So Beautiful!'
Lyrics and music: Phyllis Joyce MCCLEAN PUNNETT/Joel Bertram MIGUEL
Note: adopted 1967

Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 201

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 145

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 133

Gross national saving:
Rank: 172

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 87.8%
Government consumption: 18.5%
Investment in fixed capital: 19.7%
Investment in inventories: -0.2%
Exports of goods and services: 21.1%
Imports of goods and services: -47.1%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7.1%
Industry: 17.4%
Services: 75.4%

Agriculture products: bananas coconuts sweet potatoes spices; small numbers of cattle sheep pigs goats; fish

Industries: tourism; food processing cement furniture clothing starch

Industrial production growth rate: 2.3% (2016 est.)
Rank: 100

Labor force: 57,520 (2007 est.)
Rank: 189
By occupation agriculture: 26%
By occupation industry: 17%
By occupation services: 57%

Unemployment rate: 18.8% (2008 est.)
Rank: 181

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $222.2 million
Expenditures: $222.2 million
Surplus or deficit: 0% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 43

Taxes and other revenues: 28.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 89

Public debt:
Rank: 39

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 43

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 59

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 91

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 186

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 182

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 179

Current account balance:
Rank: 81

Exports:
Rank: 205
Commodities: bananas eddoes and dasheen (taro) arrowroot starch; tennis racquets
Partners: Barbados 18.3% St. Lucia 17.6% Antigua and Barbuda 14.8% Trinidad and Tobago 12.3% Dominica 9.5% St. Kitts and Nevis 7.3% Grenada 5.9% (2016)

Imports:
Rank: 201
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment chemicals and fertilizers minerals and fuels
Partners: US 44% Trinidad and Tobago 14.1% UK 6.5% France 4.8% (2016)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 159

Debt external:
Rank: 184

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 25,587
Access electrification total population: 76%
Access electrification urban areas: 100%
Access electrification rural areas: 32%
Production: 155 million kWh (2015 est.)
Production rank: 195
Consumption: 144.2 million kWh (2015 est.)
Consumption rank: 197
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 211
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 214
Installed generating capacity: 48,000 kW (2015 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 192
Generation sources fossil fuels: 83.3% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 79
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 203
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 14.6% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 103
Generation sources other renewable sources: 2.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 120

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 208
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 207
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 205
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 208

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products production rank: 209
Products consumption: 1600 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 197
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products exports rank: 210
Products imports: 1519 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products imports rank: 194

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 208
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 143
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 204
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 204
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 204

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 300,000 Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 194

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 20,550
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20
Fixed lines rank: 175
Mobile cellular total: 112,649
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110
Mobile cellular rank: 188

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate islandwide fully automatic telephone system
Domestic: fixed-line teledensity exceeds 20 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 110 per 100 persons
International: country code - 1-784; the East Caribbean Fiber System and Southern Caribbean Fiber submarine cables carry international calls; connectivity also provided by VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia

Broadcast media: St. Vincent and the Grenadines Broadcasting Corporation operates 1 TV station and 5 repeater stations that provide near total coverage to the multi-island state; multi-channel cable TV service available; a partially government-funded national radio service broadcasts on 1 station and has 2 repeater stations; about a dozen privately owned radio stations and repeater stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .vc
Users total: 53,000
Users percent of population: 51.8%
Users rank: 177

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: J8 (2016)

Airports: 6 (2013)
Rank: 175
With paved runways total: 5
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1

Roadways
Total: 829 km
Paved: 580 km
Unpaved: 249 km
Rank: 189

Merchant marine
Total: 412
By type: bulk carrier 64 cargo 263 carrier 14 chemical tanker 4 container 18 liquefied gas 3 passenger 2 passenger/cargo 7 petroleum tanker 9 refrigerated cargo 12 roll on/roll off 15 specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: 325 (2010)
Rank: 26

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Kingstown

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

Illicit drugs
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation