Background: First colonized by the Spanish, Trinidad and Tobago came under British control in the early 19th century. The emancipation of enslaved people in 1834 disrupted the twin islands' sugar industry. Contract workers arriving from India between 1845 and 1917 augmented the labor force, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export that remains the country's dominant industry. Trinidad and Tobago attained independence in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean, thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. The government is struggling to reverse a surge in violent crime.

Area
Total: 5,128 km²
Land: 5,128 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Note: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Elevation
Highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation: 83 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 10.5% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 4.9% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 4.3% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 1.4% (2023 est.)
Forest: 44.2% (2023 est.)
Other: 45.2% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 70 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

Geography
Note: Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt

Population
Total: 1,408,966 (2024 est.)
Male: 708,260
Female: 700,706
Distribution: population on Trinidad is concentrated in the western half of the island, on Tobago in the southern half
Growth rate: 0.1% (2024 est.)

Languages: English (official), Trinidadian Creole English, Tobagonian Creole English, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Trinidadian Creole French, Spanish, Chinese

Religions: Protestant 32.1% (Pentecostal/Evangelical/Full Gospel 12%, Baptist 6.9%, Anglican 5.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 4.1%, Presbyterian/Congregational 2.5%, other Protestant 0.9%), Roman Catholic 21.6%, Hindu 18.2%, Muslim 5%, Jehovah's Witness 1.5%, other 8.4%, none 2.2%, unspecified 11.1% (2011 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.7% (male 134,508/female 129,180)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 481,606/female 465,150)
65 years and over: 14.1% (2024 est.) (male 92,146/female 106,376)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 48.8 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 27.9 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 21 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 4.8 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 38.5 years (2024 est.)
Male: 38 years
Female: 39 years

Population growth rate: 0.1% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 10.5 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: population on Trinidad is concentrated in the western half of the island, on Tobago in the southern half

Urbanization
Urban population: 53.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 545,000 PORT-OF-SPAIN (capital) (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 54 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 17.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 13 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.5 years (2024 est.)
Male: 74.6 years
Female: 78.4 years

Total fertility rate: 1.63 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Total: 1.1% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.6% (2024 est.); 4.3% (2023 est.); 4.4% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Port of Spain
Geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: translation of the name the Spanish gave the town in 1595, Puerto de España; the name was anglicized after the British captured Trinidad in 1797

Administrative divisions: 9 regions, 3 boroughs, 2 cities, 1 ward
Regions: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco
Borough: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin
Cities: Port of Spain, San Fernando
Ward: Tobago

Legal system: English common law; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Christine KANGALOO (since 20 March 2023)
Head of government: Prime Minister Kamla Susheila PERSAD-BISSESSAR (since 1 May 2025)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among members of Parliament
Election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by an electoral college of selected Senate and House of Representatives members for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); the president usually appoints the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives as prime minister
Most recent election date: 20 January 2023
2023: Christine KANGALOO elected president by the electoral college on 20 January 2023; electoral college vote Christine KANGALOO (PNM) 48, Israel KHAN (UNC) 22
2018: Paula-Mae WEEKES (independent) elected president; ran unopposed and was elected without a vote; she was Trinidad and Tabago's first female head of state
Expected date of next election: by February 2,028

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Parliament
Legislative structure: bicameral
Note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly (19 seats; 15 assemblymen directly elected by simple majority vote and 4 appointed councilors - 3 on the advice of the chief secretary and 1 on the advice of the minority leader; members serve 4-year terms)

Flag description: red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper left to the lower right

National anthem
Title: 'Forged From the Love of Liberty'
Lyrics/music: Patrick Stanislaus CASTAGNE
History: adopted 1962; song originally written as an anthem for the West Indies Federation; Trinidad and Tobago adopted it when the Federation dissolved

Real gdp growth rate: 1.7% (2024 est.); 1.4% (2023 est.); 1.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 1.7% (2024 est.); 1.4% (2023 est.); 1.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 78.9% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 16.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 19.8% (2021 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2021 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 45.4% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -48.7% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.8% (2023 est.)
Industry: 35% (2023 est.)
Services: 59.9% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, food processing, cement, cotton textiles

Industrial production growth rate: -4.7% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 649,900 (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 4.6% (2024 est.); 4.3% (2023 est.); 4.4% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.6% (2024 est.); 4.3% (2023 est.); 4.4% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $5.698 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $7.822 billion (2019 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 16.7% (of GDP) (2019 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $11.087 billion (2024 est.); $11.545 billion (2023 est.); $17.584 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: natural gas, alcohols, ammonia, crude petroleum, iron reductions (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $10.19 billion (2024 est.); $9.219 billion (2023 est.); $10.968 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: railway cargo containers, refined petroleum, cars, iron ore, excavation machinery (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 2.139 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 9.001 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 492 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 99.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Consumption: 6 metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 2,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 72,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 26,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 242.982 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 25.994 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 15.316 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 10.737 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 298.063 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 33.629 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 6,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 3.634 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 29.989 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 311,000 (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 2.02 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 131 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 85% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 404,000 (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 27 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (2024 est.); 1% of GDP (2023 est.); 1% of GDP (2022 est.); 1% of GDP (2021 est.); 1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Airports: 3 (2025)

Merchant marine
Total: 102 (2023)
By type: general cargo 1, other 101