Aruba
Aruba
- Background
- Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. Three main industries have since dominated the island's economy: gold mining, oil refining, and tourism. A 19th-century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening of an oil refinery in 1924. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, semi-autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
- Location
- Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
- Geographic coordinates
- 12 30 N, 69 58 W
- Map references
- Central America and the Caribbean
- Area
- total: 180 sq km
land: 180 sq km
water: 0 sq km - Area - comparative
- slightly larger than Washington, D.C.
- Land boundaries
- total: 0 km
- Coastline
- 68.5 km
- Maritime claims
- territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm - Climate
- tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
- Terrain
- flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
- Elevation
- highest point: Ceru Jamanota 188 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m - Natural resources
- NEGL; white sandy beaches foster tourism
- Land use
- agricultural land: 11.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 11.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
forest: 2.7% (2023 est.)
other: 86.2% (2023 est.) - Irrigated land
- NA
- Population distribution
- most residents live in or around Oranjestad and San Nicolaas; most settlements tend to be located on the less mountainous western side of the island
- Natural hazards
- hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
- Geography - note
- a flat, riverless island known for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Population
- total: 125,063 (2024 est.)
male: 59,101
female: 65,962 - Nationality
- noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch - Ethnic groups
- Dutch 78.7%, Colombian 6.6%, Venezuelan 5.5%, Dominican 2.8%, Haitian 1.3%, other 5.1% (2020 est.)
- Languages
- Papiamento (official) (a creole language that mixes Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, French, African languages, and Arawak) 69.4%, Spanish 13.7%, English (widely spoken) 7.1%, Dutch (official) 6.1%, Chinese 1.5%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.)
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 75.3%, Protestant 4.9% (includes Methodist 0.9%, Adventist 0.9%, Anglican 0.4%, other Protestant 2.7%), Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 12%, none 5.5%, unspecified 0.5% (2010 est.)
- Age structure
- 0-14 years: 17.2% (male 10,815/female 10,747)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 39,621/female 42,487)
65 years and over: 17.1% (2024 est.) (male 8,665/female 12,728) - Dependency ratios
- total dependency ratio: 52.3 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 26.3 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 26.1 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 3.8 (2024 est.) - Median age
- total: 41.2 years (2025 est.)
male: 39.3 years
female: 42.4 years - Population growth rate
- 1.05% (2025 est.)
- Birth rate
- 11.44 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 8.85 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Net migration rate
- 7.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- most residents live in or around Oranjestad and San Nicolaas; most settlements tend to be located on the less mountainous western side of the island
- Urbanization
- urban population: 44.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) - Major urban areas - population
- 30,000 ORANJESTAD (capital) (2018)
- Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2024 est.) - Infant mortality rate
- total: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 15.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.3 deaths/1,000 live births - Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 78.5 years (2024 est.)
male: 75.4 years
female: 81.6 years - Total fertility rate
- 1.82 children born/woman (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 0.9 (2025 est.)
- Sanitation facility access
- improved: total: total: 98.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 1.2% of population (2022 est.) - Currently married women (ages 15-49)
- 46.8% (2020 est.)
- Education expenditure
- Education expenditure (% GDP): 3.6% of GDP (2021 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 11% national budget (2021 est.)
- Environmental issues
- difficulty in properly disposing waste from tourists; air pollution from waste-burning; water pollution from plastics
- Climate
- tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
- Land use
- agricultural land: 11.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 11.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
forest: 2.7% (2023 est.)
other: 86.2% (2023 est.) - Urbanization
- urban population: 44.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) - Carbon dioxide emissions
- total emissions: 1.163 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 1.163 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) - Waste and recycling
- municipal solid waste generated annually: 88,100 tons (2024 est.)
- Country name
- conventional long form: Country of Aruba
conventional short form: Aruba
local long form: Land Aruba (Dutch); Pais Aruba (Papiamento)
local short form: Aruba
etymology: the origin of the island's name is unclear; according to tradition, the name comes from the Spanish phrase oro hubo ("there was gold"), but no gold was ever found on the island; other possible sources are either the local word oruba ("well-situated") or a combination of two Carib Indian words, ora and oubao ("shell" and "island," respectively) - Government type
- parliamentary democracy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Dependency status
- one of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
- Capital
- name: Oranjestad
geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: translates as "orange city" in Dutch; in 1824, the city was named after the royal family of the Netherlands, the House of Orange-Nassau - Legal system
- civil law system based on the Dutch civil code
- Constitution
- history: previous 1947, 1955; latest drafted and approved August 1985, enacted 1 January 1986 (regulates governance of Aruba but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands); in 1986, Aruba became a semi-autonomous entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Citizenship
- see the Netherlands
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal
- Executive branch
- chief of state: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor General Alfonso BOEKHOUDT (since 1 January 2017)
head of government: Prime Minister Mike EMAN (since 28 March 2025)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Legislature (Staten)
election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a 6-year term; prime minister and deputy prime minister indirectly elected by the Staten for 4-year term
most recent election date: 6 December 2024
election results: Mike EMAN (AVP) elected prime minister; percent of Staten vote - NA
expected date of next election: by December 2028 - Legislative branch
- legislature name: Legislature (Staten)
legislative structure: unicameral
number of seats: 21
electoral system: proportional representation
scope of elections: full renewal
term in office: 4 years
most recent election date: 6 December 2024
parties elected and seats per party: AVP (9); MEP (8); FUTURO (3); PPA (1)
percentage of women in chamber: 38.1%
expected date of next election: by December 2028 - Judicial branch
- highest court(s): Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or "Joint Court of Justice" (sits as a 3-judge panel); final appeals heard by the Supreme Court in The Hague, Netherlands
judge selection and term of office: Joint Court judges appointed for life by the monarch
subordinate courts: Court in First Instance - Political parties
- Accion21Aruban People's Party or AVPDemocratic Network or REDFUTUROMovimiento Aruba Soberano (Aruban Sovereignty Movement) or MASPartido Patriotico di Aruba (Aruban Patriotic Party) or APPPeople's Electoral Movement Party or MEPPueblo Orguyoso y Respeta or PORRAIZ (ROOTS)
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- Diplomatic representation from the US
- embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Curacao is accredited to Aruba
- International organization participation
- ACS (associate), Caricom (observer), FATF, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC (NGOs), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU
- Independence
- none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- National holiday
- National Anthem and Flag Day, 18 March (1976)
- Flag
- description: blue, with two narrow, horizontal yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper-left cornermeaning: the star stands for Aruba's red soil and white beaches, and its four points for the major languages (Papiamento, Dutch, Spanish, English) and the points of a compass, to indicate that its inhabitants come from all over the world; blue symbolizes Caribbean waters and skies; the stripes represent the island's two main industries, tourism and mining
- National symbol(s)
- Hooiberg (Haystack) Hill
- National color(s)
- blue, yellow, red, white
- National anthem(s)
- title: “Het Wilhelmus”
lyrics/music: Philips VAN MARNIX van Sint Aldegonde (presumed)/unknown
history: official anthem, as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Economic overview
- small, tourism-dependent, territorial-island economy; very high public debt; COVID-19 crippled economic activity; partial recovery underway via tourism, benefitting from its high amount of timeshare residences; considering reopening oil refinery
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $4.35 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $4.172 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021: $3.844 billion (2021 est.) - Real GDP growth rate
- Real GDP growth rate 2023: 4.3% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 8.5% (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2021: 24.1% (2021 est.) - Real GDP per capita
- Real GDP per capita 2023: $40,500 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $38,900 (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2021: $35,700 (2021 est.) - GDP (official exchange rate)
- $3.649 billion (2023 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019: 4.3% (2019 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018: 3.6% (2018 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017: -1% (2017 est.) - GDP - composition, by sector of origin
- agriculture: 0% (2019 est.)
industry: 11.4% (2019 est.)
services: 78.3% (2019 est.) - GDP - composition, by end use
- household consumption: 52.1% (2023 est.)
government consumption: 19.6% (2023 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 21.5% (2023 est.)
investment in inventories: 0% (2023 est.)
exports of goods and services: 88.3% (2023 est.)
imports of goods and services: -81.5% (2023 est.) - Agricultural products
- aloes; livestock; fish
- Industries
- tourism, petroleum transshipment facilities, banking
- Remittances
- Remittances 2023: 1.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021: 1.2% of GDP (2021 est.) - Budget
- revenues: $793 million (2019 est.)
expenditures: $782 million (2019 est.) - Public debt
- Public debt 2016: 84.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
- Current account balance
- Current account balance 2023: $194.498 million (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: $230.556 million (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2021: $79.257 million (2021 est.) - Exports
- Exports 2023: $3.153 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $2.853 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2021: $2.201 billion (2021 est.) - Exports - partners
- Jordan 34%, Colombia 31%, USA 7%, Guyana 5%, Slovakia 5% (2023)
- Exports - commodities
- tobacco, gas turbines, refined petroleum, steam turbines, heating machinery (2023)
- Imports
- Imports 2023: $2.565 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $2.429 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2021: $1.947 billion (2021 est.) - Imports - partners
- USA 53%, Netherlands 15%, China 6%, Colombia 3%, Brazil 3% (2023)
- Imports - commodities
- refined petroleum, tobacco, cars, garments, jewelry (2023)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $1.468 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $1.544 billion (2022 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021: $1.513 billion (2021 est.) - Exchange rates
- Currency: Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 1.79 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 1.79 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 1.79 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 1.79 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 1.79 (2020 est.)
- Electricity access
- electrification - total population: 99.9% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 100%
electrification - rural areas: 100% - Electricity
- installed generating capacity: 305,000 kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 824.036 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 166.766 million kWh (2023 est.) - Electricity generation sources
- fossil fuels: 83.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 2.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
wind: 13.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) - Coal
- imports: 1 metric tons (2023 est.)
- Petroleum
- refined petroleum consumption: 8,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- Energy consumption per capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 153.952 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
- Telephones - fixed lines
- total subscriptions: 35,000 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 32 (2022 est.) - Telephones - mobile cellular
- total subscriptions: 140,815 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 131 (2022 est.) - Broadcast media
- freedom of the press respected, as guaranteed under Dutch law; newspapers are in the Papiamento language; 2 commercial TV stations, with a cable TV subscription service providing access to foreign channels; wide range of commercial radio stations available (2023)
- Internet country code
- .aw
- Internet users
- percent of population: 97% (2017 est.)
- Broadband - fixed subscriptions
- total: 19,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (2022 est.)
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- P4
- Airports
- 1 (2025)
- Merchant marine
- total: 1 (2023)
by type: other 1 - Ports
- total ports: 2 (2024)
large: 0
medium: 0
small: 1
very small: 1
ports with oil terminals: 1
key ports: Paardenbaai (Oranjestad), Sint Nicolaas Baai
- Military and security forces
- no regular military forces; Aruban Militia (ARUMIL); Police Department for local law enforcement, supported by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Gendarmerie), the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (Korps Politie Caribisch Nederland, KPCN), and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG or Kustwacht Caribisch Gebied (KWCARIB)) (2025)
- Military - note
- defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the Aruba security services focus on organized crime and terrorism; the Dutch Government controls foreign and defense policy; the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) provides maritime security; the Dutch military maintains a presence on Aruba, including a marine company and a naval base (2024)