Saint Lucia

England and France contested Saint Lucia -- with its fine natural harbor at Castries and burgeoning sugar industry -- throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries, with possession changing 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.

Land

606 sq km

Total

616 sq km

Water

10 sq km

3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

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

158 km

North America

Highest point

Mount Gimie 948 m

Lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

13 53 N, 60 58 W

the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufrière, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean

30 sq km (2012)

Total

0 km

Agricultural land

16.3% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 4.4% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 11.3% (2023 est.)

Agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0.6% (2023 est.)

arable land

4.38%

Forest

53.7% (2023 est.)

Other

30% (2023 est.)

permanent crops

11.31%

No

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

Google Maps

https://goo.gl/maps/4HhJ2jkPdSL9BPRcA

OpenStreetMap

https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/550728

Central America and the Caribbean

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Exclusive economic zone

200 nm

Territorial sea

12 nm

hurricanes <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> 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 Soufrière 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

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

most of the population is found on the periphery of the island, with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries

Caribbean

volcanic and mountainous with broad, fertile valleys

UTC-04:00

number of time zones

1

0-14 years

17.9% (male 15,505/female 14,607)

15-64 years

66.7% (male 54,260/female 57,747)

65 years and over

15.4% (2024 est.) (male 11,752/female 14,167)

Beer

3.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Other alcohols

0.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Spirits

5.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Total

9.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Wine

0.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

11.17 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

8.41 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

adult female

92 per 1,000

adult male

193 per 1,000

Elderly dependency ratio

24.3 (2025 est.)

Potential support ratio

4.1 (2025 est.)

Total dependency ratio

50.9 (2025 est.)

Youth dependency ratio

26.6 (2025 est.)

Improved: rural

rural: 96.8% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: total

total: 96.9% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: urban

urban: 97.2% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: rural

rural: 3.2% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: total

total: 3.1% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: urban

urban: 2.8% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure (% GDP)

3.8% of GDP (2024 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

12.7% national budget (2025 est.)

4 % of GDP

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

0.83 (2025 est.)

5 % of GDP

Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

6.2% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

9% of national budget (2022 est.)

0.33%

2 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Female

12.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Male

10.8 deaths/1,000 live births

neonatal

10 deaths/1,000 live births

Total

11.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

English (official), Saint Lucian Creole

languages

English

number of languages

1

Female

82.3 years

Male

76.7 years

Total population

79.4 years (2024 est.)

22,000 CASTRIES (capital) (2018)

44 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Female

40.9 years

Male

38.4 years

Total

40.4 years (2025 est.)

28 births/1,000 women 15-19

Adjective

Saint Lucian

Noun

Saint Lucian(s)

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

19.7% (2016)

4.23 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Female

86,784

Male

81,678

Total

168,462 (2025 est.)

0.25% (2025 est.)

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.)

Improved: rural

rural: 92.9% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: total

total: 93.8% of population (2022 est.)

Improved: urban

urban: 97.6% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: rural

rural: 7.1% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: total

total: 6.2% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved: urban

urban: 2.4% of population (2022 est.)

Female

13 years (2023 est.)

Male

12 years (2023 est.)

Total

13 years (2023 est.)

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.83 male(s)/female

At birth

1.06 male(s)/female

Total population

0.94 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Female

2.6% (2025 est.)

Male

24.1% (2025 est.)

Total

13.1% (2025 est.)

1.71 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Rate of urbanization

0.98% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Urban population

19.2% of total population (2023)

measles

83%

10 districts; Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufri&egrave;re, Vieux-Fort

Etymology

in 1785, the village of Carenage was renamed Castries, after Charles Eugene Gabriel de La Croix de CASTRIES, who was then the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies

Geographic coordinates

14 00 N, 61 00 W

Name

Castries

Time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

svg

https://mainfacts.com/media/images/coats_of_arms/lc.svg

Amendment process

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

History

previous 1958, 1960 (pre-independence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979

alternative spellings

LC

Conventional long form

none

Conventional short form

Saint Lucia

Etymology

believed to be named after Saint LUCY (Sainte ALOUSIE) of Syracuse by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on 13 December 1502, the saint's feast day

FIFA code

LCA

local long form (eng)

Saint Lucia

Note

<strong>note:</strong> pronounced saynt-LOO-shuh

Embassy

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

Chancery

1629 K Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006

Chief of mission

Ambassador Elizabeth DARIUS-CLARKE (since 7 June 2022)

Consulate(s) general

Miami, New York

Email address and website

<br>embassydc@gosl.gov.lc<br><br>https://www.embassyofstlucia.org/

FAX

[1] (202) 364-6723

Telephone

[1] (202) 364-6792

Cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Chief of state

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Acting Governor General Cyril Errol CHARLES (since 11 November 2021)

Election/appointment process

the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the governor general usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister; deputy prime minister also appointed by governor general

Head of government

Prime Minister Philip J. PIERRE (since 28 July 2021)

<strong>description:</strong> cerulean blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> blue stands for the sky and sea, gold for sunshine and prosperity, and white and black for the ethnic composition of the island; the triangles represent Gros Piton and Petit Piton, the cone-shaped volcanic plugs that are a symbol of the island

The flag of Saint Lucia has a light blue field, at the center of which are two triangles which share a common base — a small golden-yellow isosceles triangle superimposed on a large white-edged black isosceles triangle.

svg

https://flagcdn.com/lc.svg

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

22 February 1979 (from the UK)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

ACP, ACS, 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

Highest court(s)

the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC is headquartered on St. Lucia and 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 travels to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice

Judge selection and term of office

chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the British monarch; 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

English common law

Legislative structure

bicameral

Legislature name

Houses of Parliament

Chamber name

House of Assembly

Electoral system

plurality/majority

Expected date of next election

December 2025

Most recent election date

7/26/2021

Number of seats

18 (all directly elected)

Parties elected and seats per party

Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) (13); United Workers Party (UWP) (2); Independents (2)

Percentage of women in chamber

10.5%

Scope of elections

full renewal

Term in office

5 years

Chamber name

Senate

Expected date of next election

December 2025

Most recent election date

8/17/2021

Number of seats

11 (all appointed)

Percentage of women in chamber

54.5%

Scope of elections

full renewal

Term in office

5 years

cerulean blue, gold, black, white

Selected World Heritage Site locales

Pitons Management Area

Total World Heritage Sites

1 (natural)

Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

twin pitons (volcanic peaks), Saint Lucia parrot

Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP<br>United Workers Party or UWP

Monday

18 years of age; universal

Yes

coconuts, bananas, tropical fruits, fruits, root vegetables, plantains, vegetables, cassava, chicken, milk (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Expenditures

$351.956 million (2017 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Revenues

$414.77 million (2017 est.)

code

XCD

name

Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) [$]

$-64,121,335

Current account balance 2022

-$83.442 million (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

-$38.069 million (2023 est.)

Current account balance 2024

-$64.121 million (2024 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

$1.19 billion

Debt - external 2023

$901.317 million (2023 est.)

Note

<strong>note:</strong> present value of external debt in current US dollars

upper middle-income, tourism-based Caribbean island economy; environmentally fragile; energy import-dependent; major banana producer; well-educated labor force; key infrastructure, IT, and communications investments

Currency

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2020

2.7 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

2.7 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

2.7 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

2.7 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2024

2.7 (2024 est.)

Exports 2022

$1.29 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$1.419 billion (2023 est.)

Exports 2024

$1.6 billion (2024 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, gravel and crushed stone, beer, liquor, paper containers (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Guyana 20%, Suriname 15%, USA 11%, Barbados 8%, Dominica 7% (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

net inflows

$186.61 million

Exports of goods and services

62.7% (2017 est.)

Government consumption

11.2% (2017 est.)

Household consumption

66.1% (2017 est.)

Imports of goods and services

-56.9% (2017 est.)

Investment in fixed capital

16.9% (2017 est.)

Investment in inventories

0.1% (2017 est.)

Agriculture

1.1% (2024 est.)

Industry

9.8% (2024 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Services

75.9% (2024 est.)

$2.549 billion (2024 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

$14,182

51.2 (2016)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016

51.2 (2016 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

$2.3 billion

$12,640

Highest 10%

34.1% (2015 est.)

Lowest 10%

2.1% (2015 est.)

Note

<strong>note:</strong> % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports 2022

$1.2 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$1.292 billion (2023 est.)

Imports 2024

$1.446 billion (2024 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, poultry, plastic products (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars

USA 59%, Guyana 8%, Brazil 7%, China 5%, UK 3% (2023)

note

<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

5.6% (2024 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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

-0.11%

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

6.4% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

4.1% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

-0.1% (2024 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> annual % change based on consumer prices

102,400 (2024 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

total

101,771 persons

agriculture

7.47%

industry

16.21%

services

76.32%

25% (2015 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> % of population with income below national poverty line

Public debt 2016

69.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

$4.96 billion

Note

<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$4.105 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$4.196 billion (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$4.359 billion (2024 est.)

3.89%

Note

<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2022

20.4% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

2.2% (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2024

3.9% (2024 est.)

$27,567

Note

<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2022

$23,000 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$23,400 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2024

$24,300 (2024 est.)

$60.64 million

Note

<b>note:</b> personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2022

2.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

2.6% of GDP (2023 est.)

Remittances 2024

2.5% of GDP (2024 est.)

$406.06 million

Note

<b>note:</b> holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$389.083 million (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$424.324 million (2023 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024

$406.064 million (2024 est.)

18.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

note

<b>note:</b> central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

9.45%

Note

<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2022

16% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

11.1% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2024

11% (2024 est.)

Female

26.3% (2024 est.)

Male

31.4% (2024 est.)

Note

<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Total

29% (2024 est.)

Consumption

365.178 million kWh (2023 est.)

Installed generating capacity

93,000 kW (2023 est.)

Transmission/distribution losses

31.038 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

Fossil fuels

98% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

hydroelectric

0%

nuclear

0%

renewable

2.54%

Solar

2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2023

47.522 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Refined petroleum consumption

4,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

9.7%

per 100 inhabitants

14 per 100

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

14 (2022 est.)

Total

24,000 (2022 est.)

3 privately owned TV stations; 1 public TV station on a cable network; multi-channel cable TV service available; mix of state-owned and privately owned radio broadcasters with about 25 stations, including repeater transmission stations (2019)

.lc

Percent of population

74% (2022 est.)

+1758

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

17 (2022 est.)

Total subscriptions

31,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100

99 per 100

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

99 (2022 est.)

Total subscriptions

176,000 (2022 est.)

2 (2025)

J6

Left

Key ports

Castries, Grand Cul de Sac Bay, Vieux Fort

Large

0

Medium

0

Ports with oil terminals

2

Small

2

Total ports

3 (2024)

Very small

1

WL

Saint Lucia has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since its creation in 1982; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security (2025)

no regular military forces; Ministry of Home Affairs, Justice, and National Security: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) (2025)

Refugees

5 (2024 est.)

Tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List — the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore Saint Lucia was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/saint-lucia/

From petroleum and other liquids

605,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Total emissions

605,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region

Party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

8.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

1 % of total land area

3 % of total

300 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

14 % of internal resources

Agricultural

30.4 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Industrial

0 cubic meters (2022 est.)

Municipal

12.5 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Municipal solid waste generated annually

77,600 tons (2024 est.)

Percent of municipal solid waste recycled

13.3% (2022 est.)