Saint Lucia

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 31,781 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19 (2017 est.)

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

Internet country code

.lc

Internet users

total: 86,000 | percent of population: 52.4% (July 2016 est.)

Telephone system

general assessment: an adequate system that is automatically switched; good interisland and international connections; broadband access; expanded FttP (Fiber to the Home) and LTE markets; regulatory development (2018) | domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 21 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 107 per 100 persons (2018) | international: country code - 1-758; landing points for the ECFS and Southern Caribbean Fiber submarine cables providing connectivity to numerous Caribbean islands; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 35,014 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21 (2017 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 176,694 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107 (2017 est.)

Agriculture - products

bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

Budget

revenues: 398.2 million (2017 est.) | expenditures: 392.8 million (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

0.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central bank discount rate

6.5% (31 December 2010) | 6.5% (31 December 2009)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

8.34% (31 December 2017 est.) | 8.47% (31 December 2016 est.)

Current account balance

$21 million (2017 est.) | -$31 million (2016 est.)

Debt - external

$570.6 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $529 million (31 December 2015 est.)

Economy - 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.

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - | 2.7 (2017 est.) | 2.7 (2016 est.) | 2.7 (2015 est.) | 2.7 (2014 est.) | 2.7 (2013 est.)

Exports

$185.1 million (2017 est.) | $188.2 million (2016 est.)

Exports - commodities

bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, avocados, mangoes, coconut oil (2010 est.)

Exports - partners

US 67.6%, UK 5.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.5% (2017)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.686 billion (2017 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.542 billion (2017 est.) | $2.469 billion (2016 est.) | $2.388 billion (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 66.1% (2017 est.) | government consumption: 11.2% (2017 est.) | investment in fixed capital: 16.9% (2017 est.) | investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.) | exports of goods and services: 62.7% (2017 est.) | imports of goods and services: -56.9% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 2.9% (2017 est.) | industry: 14.2% (2017 est.) | services: 82.8% (2017 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$14,400 (2017 est.) | $14,200 (2016 est.) | $13,800 (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars

GDP - real growth rate

3% (2017 est.) | 3.4% (2016 est.) | -0.9% (2015 est.)

Gross national saving

19.4% of GDP (2017 est.) | 15.5% of GDP (2016 est.) | 24.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA | highest 10%: NA

Imports

$600 million (2017 est.) | $575.9 million (2016 est.)

Imports - commodities

food, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels

Imports - partners

US 53.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.8% (2017)

Industrial production growth rate

6% (2017 est.)

Industries

tourism; clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, lime processing, coconut processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.1% (2017 est.) | -3.1% (2016 est.)

Labor force

79,700 (2012 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 21.7% | industry: 24.7% | services: 53.6% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA

Public debt

70.7% of GDP (2017 est.) | 69.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$321.8 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $320.7 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock of broad money

$334.2 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $318.4 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$1.267 billion (31 December 2017 est.) | $1.297 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$334.2 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $318.4 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

23.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

20% (2003 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

437,900 Mt (2017 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity - consumption

343.2 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

99% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

89,000 kW (2016 est.)

Electricity - production

369 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 97.8% (2016) | electrification - urban areas: 94.9% (2016) | electrification - rural areas: 98.4% (2016)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

3,100 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

3,113 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Area

total: 616 sq km | land: 606 sq km | water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative

three and a half times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August

Coastline

158 km

Elevation

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m | highest point: Mount Gimie 948 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region

Environment - 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 | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

13 53 N, 60 58 W

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

Irrigated land

30 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

agricultural land: 17.4% (2011 est.) | arable land: 4.9% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 11.5% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 1% (2011 est.) | forest: 77% (2011 est.) | other: 5.6% (2011 est.)

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm | continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Natural hazards

hurricanes volcanism: Mount Gimie (948 m), 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

Natural resources

forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential

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

Terrain

volcanic and mountainous with broad, fertile valleys

Administrative divisions

10 districts; Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort

Capital

name: Castries | geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 61 00 W | time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) | etymology: in 1785, the village of Carenage was renamed Castries, after Charles Eugene Gabriel de La Croix de Castries (1727-1801), who was then the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: yes | citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Lucia | dual citizenship recognized: yes | residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years

Constitution

history: previous 1958, 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979 | amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the House of Assembly membership in the final reading and assent of the governor general; passage of amendments to various constitutional sections, such as those on fundamental rights and freedoms, government finances, the judiciary, and procedures for amending the constitution, require at least three-quarters majority vote by the House and assent of the governor general; passage of amendments approved by the House but rejected by the Senate require a majority of votes cast in a referendum (2018)

Country 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 | note: pronounced saynt-looshya

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

Diplomatic representation in the US

Ambassador Anton Edsel EDMUNDS (since 8 September 2017) | chancery: 1628 K Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006 | telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795 | FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723 | consulate(s) general: New York

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Neville CENAC (since 12 January 2018) | head of government: Prime Minister Allen CHASTANET (since 7 June 2016) | cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister | elections/appointments: 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

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Independence

22 February 1979 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Judicial branch

highest courts: the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) 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, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in 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

Legal system

English common law

Legislative branch

description: bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate (11 seats; 6 members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 upon consultation with religious, economic, and social groups; members serve 5-year terms) House of Assembly (17 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) | elections: Senate - last appointments on 12 July 2016 (next in 2021) House of Assembly - last held on 6 June 2016 (next to be held in 2021) | election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 8, women 3, percent of women 27.3% House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 54.8%, SLP 44.1%, other 1.1%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6; composition - men 14, women 3, percent of women 17.6%; note - total Parliament percent of women 21.4%

National anthem

name: Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia | lyrics/music: Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS | note: adopted 1967

National holiday

Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

National symbol(s)

twin pitons (volcanic peaks), Saint Lucia parrot; national colors: cerulean blue, gold, black, white

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]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries and burgeoning sugar industry, 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 and became part of the British Windward Islands colony. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. In the mid-20th century, Saint Lucia joined the West Indies Federation (1958–1962) and in 1967 became one of the six members of the West Indies Associated States, with internal self-government. In 1979, Saint Lucia gained full independence.

Military - note

St. Lucia is a member of the Regional Security System (RSS), an international agreement for the defense and security of the eastern Caribbean region.

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Marine Unit) (2018)

Age structure

0-14 years: 19.77% (male 16,840 /female 15,874) | 15-24 years: 14.79% (male 12,419 /female 12,060) | 25-54 years: 42.93% (male 34,228 /female 36,818) | 55-64 years: 10.41% (male 7,944 /female 9,284) | 65 years and over: 12.11% (male 9,086 /female 10,957) (2018 est.) | population pyramid: The World Factbook Field Image Modal × Central America :: Saint Lucia Print Image Description This is the population pyramid for Saint Lucia. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Birth rate

13.1 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2.8% (2012)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

55.5% (2011/12)

Current Health Expenditure

5.3% (2016)

Death rate

7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 41.1 (2015 est.) | youth dependency ratio: 27.9 (2015 est.) | elderly dependency ratio: 13.3 (2015 est.) | potential support ratio: 7.5 (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 99.5% of population | rural: 95.6% of population | total: 96.3% of population | unimproved: urban: 0.5% of population | rural: 4.4% of population | total: 3.7% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2018)

Ethnic groups

black/African descent 85.3%, mixed 10.9%, East Indian 2.2%, other 1.6%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.6% (2018)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

<100 (2018)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

<1000 (2018)

Hospital bed density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2013)

Infant mortality rate

total: 10.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.) | male: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 11 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official), French patois

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.1 years (2018 est.) | male: 75.4 years | female: 81 years

Major infectious diseases

note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); 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

Major urban areas - population

22,000 CASTRIES (capital) (2018)

Maternal mortality rate

117 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

total: 35.5 years (2018 est.) | male: 34.3 years | female: 36.6 years

Nationality

noun: Saint Lucian(s) | adjective: Saint Lucian

Net migration rate

-2.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

19.7% (2016)

Physicians density

0.11 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

165,510 (July 2018 est.)

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

Population growth rate

0.31% (2018 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.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 84.7% of population (2015 est.) | rural: 91.9% of population (2015 est.) | total: 90.5% of population (2015 est.) | unimproved: urban: 15.3% of population (2015 est.) | rural: 8.1% of population (2015 est.) | total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female | total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.74 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 46.2% | male: 42.6% | female: 51% (2016 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 18.8% of total population (2019) | rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

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

transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe

Airports

2 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 2 (2017) | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2017) | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2017)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

J6 (2016)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort

Roadways

total: 1,210 km (2011) | paved: 847 km (2011) | unpaved: 363 km (2011)