2021 Edition

Background

Discovered in 1493 by Christopher COLUMBUS who named it for his brother Bartolomeo, Saint Barthelemy was first settled by the French in 1648. In 1784, the French sold the island to Sweden, which renamed the largest town Gustavia, after the Swedish King GUSTAV III, and made it a free port; the island prospered as a trade and supply center during the colonial wars of the 18th century. France repurchased the island in 1877 and took control the following year. It was placed under the administration of Guadeloupe. Saint Barthelemy retained its free port status along with various Swedish appellations such as Swedish street and town names, and the three-crown symbol on the coat of arms. In 2003, the islanders voted to secede from Guadeloupe, and in 2007, the island became a French overseas collectivity. In 2012, it became an overseas territory of the EU, allowing it to exert local control over the permanent and temporary immigration of foreign workers including non-French European citizens.

Area

land

25 sq km

total

25 sq km

water

negligible

Area - comparative

less than one-eighth the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Elevation

highest point

Morne du Vitet 286 m

lowest point

Caribbean Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

17 90 N, 62 85 W

Geography - note

a 1,200-hectare marine nature reserve, the Reserve Naturelle, is made up of five zones around the island that form a network to protect the island's coral reefs, seagrass, and endangered marine species

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean; located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; Saint Barthelemy lies east of the US Virgin Islands

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Natural resources

few natural resources; beaches foster tourism

Population distribution

most of the populace concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island periphery

Terrain

hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with plentiful beaches

Age structure

0-14 years

15.16% (male 555/female 525)

15-24 years

7.34% (male 275/female 248)

25-54 years

41.86% (male 1,618/female 1,363)

55-64 years

16.29% (male 630/female 530)

65 years and over

19.35% (male 690/female 688) (2020 est.)

Birth rate

9.27 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current Health Expenditure

NA

Death rate

8.85 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

NA

potential support ratio

NA

total dependency ratio

NA

youth dependency ratio

NA

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: NA

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: NA

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

French, Portuguese, Caribbean, Afro-Caribbean

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

5.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

male

8 deaths/1,000 live births

total

6.85 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Languages

French (primary), English

major-language sample(s)

The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

83.6 years (2021 est.)

male

77.24 years

total population

80.36 years

Median age

female

45.8 years (2020 est.)

male

45.5 years

total

45.6 years

Net migration rate

-2.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Population

7,116 (July 2021 est.)

Population distribution

most of the populace concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island periphery

Population growth rate

-0.2% (2021 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.11 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.19 male(s)/female

55-64 years

1.19 male(s)/female

65 years and over

1 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.12 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.64 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Capital

etymology

named in honor of King Gustav III (1746-1792) of Sweden during whose reign the island was obtained from France in 1784; the name was retained when in 1878 the island was sold back to France

geographic coordinates

17 53 N, 62 51 W

name

Gustavia

time difference

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

Citizenship

see France

Constitution

amendments

amendment procedures of France's constitution apply

history

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Country name

abbreviation

Saint-Barth (French); St. Barts or St. Barths (English)

conventional long form

Overseas Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy

conventional short form

Saint Barthelemy

etymology

explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in honor of his brother Bartolomeo's namesake saint in 1493

local long form

Collectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Barthelemy

local short form

Saint-Barthelemy

Dependency status

overseas collectivity of France

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Council elected by the Territorial Council; note - there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council

chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by Prefect Serge GOUTEYRON (since 16 December 2020)

election results

Bruno MAGRAS (SBA) reelected president; Territorial Council vote - NA

elections/appointments

French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; president of Territorial Council indirectly elected by its members for a 5-year term; election last held on 2 April 2017 (next to be held in 2022)

head of government

President of Territorial Council Bruno MAGRAS (since 16 July 2007)

Flag description

the flag of France is used

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Independence

none (overseas collectivity of France)

International organization participation

UPU

Legal system

French civil law

Legislative branch

description

unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members elected by absolute majority vote in the first round vote and proportional representation vote in the second round; members serve 5-year terms); Saint Barthelemy indirectly elects 1 senator to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term and directly elects 1 deputy (shared with Saint Martin) to the French National Assembly

election results

Territorial Council - percent of vote by party - SBA 53.7%, United for Saint Barth 20.6%, Saint Barth Essential 18.1%, All for Saint Barth 7.7%; seats by party - SBA 14, United for Saint Barth 2, Saint Barth Essential 2, All for Saint Barth 1; composition - men 9, women 10, percent of women 52.6% French Senate - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1 French National Assembly - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1

elections

Territorial Council - last held on 19 March 2017 (next to be held in September 2022) French Senate - election last held 24 September 2017 (next to be held in September 2020) French National Assembly - election last held on 11 and 18 June 2017 (next to be held by June 2022)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Isabelle Massart DERAVIN/Michael VALENTI

name

"L'Hymne a St. Barthelemy" (Hymn to St. Barthelemy)

note

note: local anthem in use since 1999; as a collectivity of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)

National holiday

Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August (1572)

National symbol(s)

pelican

Political parties and leaders

All for Saint Barth (Tous pour Saint-Barth) [Bettina COINTRE]Saint Barth Essential (Saint-Barth Autrement) [Marie-Helene BERNIER]Saint Barth First! (Saint-Barth d'Abord!) or SBA [Bruno MAGRAS] (affiliated with France's Republican party, Les Republicans)Saint Barth United (Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy) [Xavier LEDEE]

Suffrage

18 years of age, universal

Economic overview

The economy of Saint Barthelemy is based upon high-end tourism and duty-free luxury commerce, serving visitors primarily from North America. The luxury hotels and villas host 70,000 visitors each year with another 130,000 arriving by boat. The relative isolation and high cost of living inhibits mass tourism. The construction and public sectors also enjoy significant investment in support of tourism. With limited fresh water resources, all food must be imported, as must all energy resources and most manufactured goods. The tourism sector creates a strong employment demand and attracts labor from Brazil and Portugal. The country’s currency is the euro.

Exchange rates

currency

2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

0.885 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

0.9214 (2015 est.)

Exchange rates 2016

0.903 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

0.885 (2017 est.)

Exports - commodities

beauty products, broadcasting equipment, sunflower seed oil, plastics, cars (2019)

Exports - partners

France 60%, Germany 27% (2019)

Imports - commodities

furniture, wine, refined petroleum, jewelry, food preparation materials (2019)

Imports - partners

France 78%, Switzerland 7%, Italy 7% (2019)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

Broadcast media

2 local TV broadcasters; 5 FM radio channels (2021)

Internet country code

.bl; note - .gp, the Internet country code for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the Internet country code for France, might also be encountered

Internet users

total

2,025 (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems, 3 FM channels, no broadcasting (2018)

general assessment

fully integrated access; 4G and LTE services (2019)

international

country code - 590; landing points for the SSCS and the Southern Caribbean Fiber submarine cables providing voice and data connectivity to numerous Caribbean Islands (2019)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Airports

total

1 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

total

1

under 914 m

1 (2019)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Gustavia

Roadways

total

40 km

Transportation - note

nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located on Sint Maarten

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

Climate

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Environment - current issues

land-based pollution; urbanization; with no natural rivers or streams, fresh water is in short supply, especially in summer, and is provided by the desalination of sea water, the collection of rain water, or imported via water tanker; overfishing