Background: English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possession of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid-19th century. The Soufriere Hills Volcano erupted in 1995, devastating much of the island; two thirds of the population fled abroad. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in 2013.

Area
Total: 102 km²
Land: 102 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 40 km

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

Climate: tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland

Elevation
Highest point: Soufriere Hills volcano pre-eruption height was 915 m; current lava dome is subject to periodic build up and collapse; estimated dome height was 1,050 m in 2015
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 30% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 20% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
Permanent pasture: 10% (2023 est.)
Forest: 24.2% (2023 est.)
Other: 45.8% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

Natural hazards: volcanic eruptions; severe hurricanes (June to November)
Volcanism: Soufrière Hills volcano (915 m) has erupted continuously since 1995; a massive eruption in 1997 destroyed most of the capital, Plymouth, and made about half of the island uninhabitable; the island of Montserrat 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 island is entirely volcanic in origin and composed of three major volcanic centers of differing ages

Population
Total: 5,468 (2024 est.)
Male: 2,728
Female: 2,740
Distribution: only the northern half of the island is populated; the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity
Growth rate: 0.59% (2024 est.)

Languages: English

Religions: Protestant 71.4% (includes Anglican 17.7%, Pentecostal/Full Gospel 16.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 15%, Methodist 13.9%, Church of God 6.7%, other Protestant 2%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Rastafarian 1.4%, Hindu 1.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, Muslim 0.4%, other/not stated 5.1%, none 7.9% (2018 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.8% (male 446/female 420)
15-64 years: 76.1% (male 2,062/female 2,101)
65 years and over: 8% (2024 est.) (male 220/female 219)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 31.3 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 20.8 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 10.5 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 9.5 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 35.4 years
Female: 37.8 years

Population growth rate: 0.59% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 11.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: only the northern half of the island is populated; the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity

Urbanization
Urban population: 9.3% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.94% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 11.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 76.9 years
Female: 75.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.33 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Total: 1.9% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)

Capital
Name: Plymouth
Geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: now entirely deserted because of volcanic activity, the city was named after Plymouth, England
Note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, the de facto capital, at the northwest end of Montserrat

Administrative divisions: 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter

Legal system: English common law

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Sarah TUCKER (since 6 April 2023)
Head of government: Premier Easton TAYLOR-FARRELL (since 19 November 2019)
Cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the premier, 3 other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary
Election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes premier

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Legislative Assembly
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 12 (directly elected)
Electoral system: plurality/majority
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 5 years
Most recent election date: 11/18/2019
Parties elected and seats per party: MCAP (5); PDM (3); independent (1)
Percentage of women in chamber: 33.3%
Expected date of next election: 2024
Note: the Assembly elects the speaker from the outside for a 5-year term; the Assembly includes 2 ex-officio members, the attorney general and the financial secretary

Flag description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the right half of the flag; the arms show a woman in a green dress standing beside a yellow harp and embracing a large, dark-brown cross with her right arm

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

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 90.8% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 50.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 17.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 29.5% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -88.6% (2017 est.)

Industries: tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances

Budget
Revenues: $55.651 million (2014 est.)
Expenditures: $43.652 million (2014 est.)
Note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Exports
Commodities: gravel and crushed stone, sand (2023)
Commodities note: top export commodities based on value in dollars over $500,000

Imports: $15.3 million (2021 est.); $39.44 million (2017 est.); $36.1 million (2016 est.)
Commodities: refined petroleum, electric generating sets, cars, stone processing machines, x-ray equipment (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 6,000 kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 15.968 million kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 370,000 kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2020)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 87.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 12.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 200 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 24,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 24,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3,000 (2020 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 67 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 5,000 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2020 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 54.6% (2011 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,700 (2018 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 55 (2018 est.)

Airports: 1 (2025)