Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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

Internet users

total: 53,000 | percent of population: 51.8% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

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 (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 24,865 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 24 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 175

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 113,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 188

Agriculture - products

bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish

Budget

revenues: $222.2 million | expenditures: $259.3 million (2015 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4.9% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 159

Central bank discount rate

6.5% (31 December 2010) | 6.5% (31 December 2009) | country comparison to the world: 53

Commercial bank prime lending rate

9.3% (31 December 2015 est.) | 9.15% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 89

Current account balance

-$188 million (2015 est.) | -$216 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 81

Debt - external

$327 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $338.9 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 184

Economy - overview

Success of the economy hinges upon seasonal variations in agriculture, tourism, and construction activity as well as remittances. Much of the workforce is employed in banana production and tourism, but persistent high unemployment has prompted many to leave the islands. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. | This lower-middle-income country is vulnerable to natural disasters - tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002. Floods and mudslides caused by unseasonable rainfall in 2013, caused substantial damage to infrastructure, homes, and crops, which the World Bank estimated at US$112 million. The government's ability to invest in social programs and respond to external shocks is constrained by its high public debt burden, which was 67% of GDP - one of the lowest levels in the Eastern Caribbean - at the end of 2013. | In 2013, the islands had more than 200,000 tourist arrivals, mostly to the Grenadines. Arrivals represented a marginal increase from 2012 but remain 26% below St. Vincent's 2009 peak. Weak recovery in the tourism and construction sectors limited growth in 2015.

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - | 2.7 (2015 est.) | 2.7 (2014 est.) | 2.7 (2013 est.) | 2.7 (2012 est.) | 2.7 (2011 est.)

Exports

$49.8 million (2015 est.) | $48.2 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 202

Exports - commodities

bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch; tennis racquets

Exports - partners

Trinidad and Tobago 18.9%, St. Lucia 14.8%, Barbados 12.3%, Dominica 9.7%, Grenada 9.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.4%, Poland 7.1%, St. Kitts and Nevis 4.1% (2015)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$757 million (2015 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.205 billion (2015 est.) | $1.186 billion (2014 est.) | $1.189 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 202

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 89.5% | government consumption: 18.8% | investment in fixed capital: 20.9% | investment in inventories: -0.2% | exports of goods and services: 21.9% | imports of goods and services: -51.1% (2015 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 7.9% | industry: 17.2% | services: 75% (2015 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$11,000 (2015 est.) | $10,800 (2014 est.) | $10,800 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 133

GDP - real growth rate

1.6% (2015 est.) | -0.2% (2014 est.) | 2.3% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185

Gross national saving

-4.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | -7.3% of GDP (2014 est.) | -6.2% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% | highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$320.7 million (2015 est.) | $313.6 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 200

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels

Imports - partners

Trinidad and Tobago 29.3%, US 17.2%, Singapore 8.7%, China 8%, Barbados 6%, Poland 5.5%, Turkey 4.4% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate

2.2% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 99

Industries

tourism; food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-1.7% (2015 est.) | 0.2% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Labor force

57,520 (2007 est.) | country comparison to the world: 188

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 26% | industry: 17% | services: 57% (1980 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

67% of GDP (2013 est.) | 68% of GDP (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 50

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$166 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $157.4 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 161

Stock of broad money

$547.8 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $521.7 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Stock of domestic credit

$439 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $422 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

Stock of narrow money

$162.2 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $157.9 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 184

Taxes and other revenues

29.4% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Unemployment rate

18.8% (2008 est.) | country comparison to the world: 167

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

300,000 Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 193

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 206

Electricity - consumption

100 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 196

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211

Electricity - from fossil fuels

85.1% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 89

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

14.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 202

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 139

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 214

Electricity - installed generating capacity

47,000 kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 188

Electricity - production

100 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 196

Electricity access

population without electricity: 25,587 | electrification - total population: 76% | electrification - urban areas: 100% | electrification - rural areas: 32% (2012)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 206

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 204

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 204

Refined petroleum products - consumption

1,600 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 193

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144

Refined petroleum products - imports

1,519 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 188

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Area

total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km) | land: 389 sq km | water: 0 sq km | country comparison to the world: 204

Area - comparative

twice the size of Washington, DC

Climate

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

Coastline

84 km

Elevation

mean elevation: NA | elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m | highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m

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

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

Geographic coordinates

13 15 N, 61 12 W

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

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

agricultural land: 25.6% | arable land 12.8%; permanent crops 7.7%; permanent pasture 5.1% | forest: 68.7% | other: 5.7% (2011 est.)

Location

Caribbean, islands 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 | contiguous zone: 24 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | continental shelf: 200 nm

Natural hazards

hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat

Natural resources

hydropower, arable land

Population - distribution

most of the population is concentrated in and around Kingstown

Terrain

volcanic, mountainous

Administrative divisions

6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick

Capital

name: Kingstown | geographic coordinates: 13 08 N, 61 13 W | time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

Constitution

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

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

Diplomatic representation 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ad interim Omari WILLIAMS | chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 | telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 | FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 | consulate(s) general: New York

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002) | head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) | 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 usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

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"; blue conveys the colors of a tropical sky and crystal waters, yellow signifies the golden Grenadine sands, and green represents lush vegetation

Government type

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

Independence

27 October 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, 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

Judicial branch

highest court(s): the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to include Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the ECSC - with its headquarters on Saint Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and is comprised of the Court of Appeal with 3 justices and the High Court with 16 judges; sittings of the Court of Appeal and High Court rotate among the member states; 2 High Court judges reside on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; note - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice | judge selection and term of office: chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the 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

Legal system

English common law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats; 15 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 6 appointed by the governor general; members serve 5-year terms) | elections: last held on 9 December 2015 (next to be held in 2020) | election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 52.3%, NDP 47.4%, other 0.3%; seats by party - ULP 8, NDP 7

National anthem

name: "St. Vincent! Land So Beautiful!" | lyrics/music: Phyllis Joyce MCCLEAN PUNNETT/Joel Bertram MIGUEL | note: adopted 1967

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 October (1979)

National symbol(s)

Saint Vincent parrot; national colors: blue, gold, green

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Republican Party or DRP [Anesia BAPTISTE] | New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE] | Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) | SVG Green Party or SVGP [Ivan O'NEAL]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

Military branches

no regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVPF) (2013)

Age structure

0-14 years: 21.78% (male 11,246/female 11,050) | 15-24 years: 16.28% (male 8,407/female 8,258) | 25-54 years: 42.64% (male 22,668/female 20,975) | 55-64 years: 10.2% (male 5,363/female 5,076) | 65 years and over: 9.09% (male 4,347/female 4,960) (2016 est.)

Birth rate

13.4 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 146

Death rate

7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 118

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 46.8% | youth dependency ratio: 36% | elderly dependency ratio: 10.8% | potential support ratio: 9.3% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 95.1% of population | rural: 95.1% of population | total: 95.1% of population | urban: 4.9% of population | rural: 4.9% of population | total: 4.9% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

5.1% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 69

Ethnic groups

black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, European 4%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 3%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Health expenditures

8.6% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 136

Hospital bed density

5.2 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Infant mortality rate

total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 119

Languages

English, French patois

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.3 years | male: 73.3 years | female: 77.4 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 107

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 (2016)

Major urban areas - population

KINGSTOWN (capital) 27,000 (2014)

Maternal mortality rate

45 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 109

Median age

total: 33 years | male: 33.2 years | female: 32.9 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 89

Nationality

noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s) | adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian

Net migration rate

-8.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 213

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

24.1% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 75

Population

102,350 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 196

Population distribution

most of the population is concentrated in and around Kingstown

Population growth rate

-0.26% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 218

Religions

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

Sanitation facility access

urban: 76.1% of population | rural: 76.1% of population | total: 76.1% of population | urban: 23.9% of population | rural: 23.9% of population | total: 23.9% of population (2007 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.08 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female | total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.81 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 33.8% | male: 27.8% | female: 41.4% (2008 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 50.6% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 0.72% annual rate of change (2010-15 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

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; some children under 18 are pressured to engage in sex acts in exchange for money or gifts; foreign workers may experience forced labor and are particularly vulnerable when employed by small, foreign-owned companies; adults and children are vulnerable to forced labor domestically, especially in the agriculture sector | tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government for the first time acknowledged a trafficking problem, launched an anti-trafficking public awareness campaign, and conducted anti-trafficking training for law enforcement, immigration, and labor officials; in 2014, authorities initiated three trafficking investigations, two of which were ultimately determined not to be trafficking cases, and did not prosecute or convict any trafficking offenders; the government did not identify or refer any potential trafficking victims to care (2015)

Airports

6 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 175

Airports - with paved runways

total: 5 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 3 | under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1 | under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

J8 (2016)

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 (Austria 1, Azerbaijan 1, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 7, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 9, China 65, Croatia 8, Cyprus 3, Czech Republic 1, Denmark 9, Dominica 1, Egypt 2, Estonia 8, France 2, Germany 3, Greece 42, Guyana 2, Hong Kong 5, Israel 3, Italy 4, Japan 3, Kenya 2, Latvia 15, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 9, Monaco 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 13, Poland 3, Romania 1, Russia 11, Singapore 5, Slovenia 1, Sweden 10, Switzerland 7, Syria 9, Turkey 13, UAE 3, UK 6, Ukraine 12, US 18, Venezuela 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 25

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 2 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11 (2015)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Kingstown

Roadways

total: 829 km | paved: 580 km | unpaved: 249 km (2003) | country comparison to the world: 188