Curaçao
Country of Curaçao
- Background
- The original Arawak Indian settlers who arrived on Curaçao from South America in about A.D. 1000 were largely enslaved by the Spanish early in the 16th century and forcibly relocated to other colonies where labor was needed. The Dutch seized Curaçao from the Spanish in 1634. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, Curaçao was hard hit economically when the Dutch abolished slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of the Isla Refineria to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oilfields. In 1954, Curaçao and several other Dutch Caribbean colonies were reorganized as the Netherlands Antilles, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In referenda in 2005 and 2009, the citizens of Curaçao voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The change in status became effective in 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.
- Location
- Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea, 55 km off the coast of Venezuela
- Geographic coordinates
- 12 10 N, 69 00 W
- Map references
- Central America and the Caribbean
- Area
- total: 444 sq km
land: 444 sq km
water: 0 sq km - Area - comparative
- more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.
- Land boundaries
- total: 0 km
- Coastline
- 364 km
- Maritime claims
- territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm - Climate
- tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 60 cm/year
- Terrain
- generally low, hilly terrain
- Elevation
- highest point: Mt. Christoffel 372 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m - Natural resources
- calcium phosphates, protected harbors, hot springs
- Land use
- agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 10% (2018)
forest: 0.2% (2022 est.)
other: 99.8% (2022 est.) - Irrigated land
- NA
- Population distribution
- largest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest
- Natural hazards
- Curacao is south of the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
- Geography - note
- Curaçao is a part of the Windward Islands (southern) group in the Lesser Antilles
- Population
- total: 153,289 (2024 est.)
male: 73,755
female: 79,534 - Nationality
- noun: Curacaoan
adjective: Curacaoan; Dutch - Ethnic groups
- Curacaoan 75.4%, Dutch 6%, Dominican 3.6%, Colombian 3%, Bonairean, Sint Eustatian, Saban 1.5%, Haitian 1.2%, Surinamese 1.2%, Venezuelan 1.1%, Aruban 1.1%, other 5%, unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)
- Languages
- Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak) 80%, Dutch (official) 8.8%, Spanish 5.6%, English (official) 3.1%, other 2.3%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 72.8%, Pentecostal 6.6%, Protestant 3.2%, Adventist 3%, Jehovah's Witness 2%, Evangelical 1.9%, other 3.8%, none 6%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
- Age structure
- 0-14 years: 19.2% (male 15,069/female 14,337)
15-64 years: 62.3% (male 47,258/female 48,217)
65 years and over: 18.5% (2024 est.) (male 11,428/female 16,980) - Dependency ratios
- total dependency ratio: 60.6 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 30.8 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 29.8 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 3.4 (2024 est.) - Median age
- total: 38.1 years (2025 est.)
male: 35.5 years
female: 40.2 years - Population growth rate
- 0.25% (2025 est.)
- Birth rate
- 12.71 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 8.91 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Net migration rate
- -1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- largest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest
- Urbanization
- urban population: 89% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) - Major urban areas - population
- 144,000 WILLEMSTAD (capital) (2018)
- Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.) - Infant mortality rate
- total: 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 8.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births - Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 79.9 years (2024 est.)
male: 77.6 years
female: 82.3 years - Total fertility rate
- 1.95 children born/woman (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 0.95 (2025 est.)
- Education expenditure
- 7.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
- Environmental issues
- waste management, including pollution of marine areas from domestic sewage, inadequate sewage treatment facilities, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, mismanagement of toxic substances, and ineffective regulations; damage from neglect and a lack of controls at major refinery
- Climate
- tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 60 cm/year
- Land use
- agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 10% (2018)
forest: 0.2% (2022 est.)
other: 99.8% (2022 est.) - Urbanization
- urban population: 89% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) - Waste and recycling
- municipal solid waste generated annually: 24,700 tons (2024 est.)
- Country name
- conventional long form: Country of Curacao
conventional short form: Curacao
local long form: Land Curacao (Dutch)/ Pais Korsou (Papiamento)
local short form: Curacao (Dutch)/ Korsou (Papiamento)
former: Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies
etymology: the origin of the name is disputed; many historians now agree that the name derives from a similar-sounding word the original inhabitants used to describe themselves - Government type
- parliamentary democracy
- Dependency status
- one of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
- Capital
- name: Willemstad
geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 55 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: the name means "William's Town" in Dutch; named after Prince WILLEM of Orange (1533-84), the first stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands - Legal system
- based on Dutch civil law
- Constitution
- history: previous 1947, 1955; latest adopted 5 September 2010, entered into force 10 October 2010 (regulates governance of Curacao but is subordinate to the Charter for 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 Lucille A. GEORGE-WOUT (since 4 November 2013)
head of government: Prime Minister Gilmar PISAS (since 14 June 2021)
cabinet: Cabinet sworn-in by the governor
election/appointment process: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the legislature usually elects the leader of the majority party as prime minister
most recent election date: 21 March 2025
expected date of next election: 2029 - Legislative branch
- legislature name: Parliament of Curacao
legislative structure: unicameral
number of seats: 21 (directly elected)
electoral system: proportional representation
scope of elections: full renewal
term in office: 4 years
most recent election date: 3/19/2021
parties elected and seats per party: MFK (9); PAR (4); PNP (4); MAN (2); KEM (1); TPK (1)
percentage of women in chamber: 28.6%
expected date of next election: 2025 - 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 by the monarch for life
subordinate courts: first instance courts, appeals court; specialized courts - Political parties
- Korsou di Nos Tur or KdnTKorsou Esun Miho or KEMMovementu Futuro Korsou or MFKMovementu Progresivo or MPMovishon Antia Nobo or MANPartido Antia Restruktura or PARPartido Inovashon Nashonal or PINPartido Nashonal di Pueblo or PNPPueblo Soberano or PSTrabou pa Kòrsou or TPKUn Korsou Hustu
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission: Consul General Ramón “Chico” NEGRÓN (since 9 June 2025); note - also accredited to Aruba and Sint Maarten
embassy: P.O. Box 158, J.B. Gorsiraweg 1
mailing address: 3160 Curacao Place, Washington DC 20521-3160
telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066
FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489
email address and website: ACSCuracao@state.govhttps://cw.usconsulate.gov/ - International organization participation
- ACS (associate), Caricom (observer), FATF, ILO, ITU, UNESCO (associate), UPU
- Independence
- none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- National holiday
- King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967)
- Flag
- description: on a blue field, a horizontal yellow band divides the flag below the center; two five-pointed white stars -- the smaller above and to the left of the larger -- appear in the upper leftmeaning: the blue stands for the sky and sea, and yellow for the sun; the stars symbolize Curacao and its uninhabited sister island of Klein Curacao (Little Curacao); the star points represent the five continents from which Curacao's inhabitants originate
- National symbol(s)
- laraha (citrus tree)
- National color(s)
- blue, yellow, white
- National anthem(s)
- title: "Himmo di Korsou" (Anthem of Curacao)
lyrics/music: Guillermo ROSARIO, Mae HENRIQUEZ, Enrique MULLER, Betty DORAN/Frater Candidus NOWENS, Errol "El Toro" COLINA
history: adapted 1978; the lyrics, originally written in 1899, were rewritten in 1978 to remove colonial references - National heritage
- total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural); note - excerpted from the Netherlands entry
selected World Heritage Site locales: Historic Willemstad
- Economic overview
- high-income island economy; developed infrastructure; tourism and financial services-based economy; investing in information technology incentives; oil refineries service Venezuela and China
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $4.312 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $4.138 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021: $3.834 billion (2021 est.) - Real GDP growth rate
- Real GDP growth rate 2023: 4.2% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 7.9% (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2021: 4.2% (2021 est.) - Real GDP per capita
- Real GDP per capita 2023: $27,700 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $27,600 (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2021: $25,200 (2021 est.) - GDP (official exchange rate)
- $3.281 billion (2023 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019: 2.6% (2019 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018: 2.6% (2018 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017: 1.6% (2017 est.) - GDP - composition, by sector of origin
- agriculture: 0.3% (2023 est.)
industry: 11.7% (2023 est.)
services: 73.3% (2023 est.) - GDP - composition, by end use
- household consumption: 73.2% (2018 est.)
government consumption: 14.5% (2018 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 34% (2018 est.)
investment in inventories: 7.1% (2018 est.)
exports of goods and services: 63.2% (2018 est.)
imports of goods and services: -92% (2018 est.) - Agricultural products
- aloe, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
- Industries
- tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment, light manufacturing, financial and business services
- Remittances
- Remittances 2023: 5.4% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 5.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021: 5.2% of GDP (2021 est.) - Current account balance
- Current account balance 2023: -$654.688 million (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: -$822.667 million (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2021: -$508.758 million (2021 est.) - Exports
- Exports 2023: $2.107 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $2.046 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2021: $1.363 billion (2021 est.) - Exports - partners
- Armenia 57%, USA 15%, Guyana 5%, Dominican Republic 4%, Netherlands 2% (2023)
- Exports - commodities
- diamonds, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, gold, petroleum coke (2023)
- Imports
- Imports 2023: $2.764 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $2.891 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2021: $1.91 billion (2021 est.) - Imports - partners
- USA 39%, Netherlands 24%, China 6%, Colombia 5%, Brazil 3% (2023)
- Imports - commodities
- refined petroleum, cars, garments, plastic products, packaged medicine (2023)
- Exchange rates
- Currency: Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) 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: 100% (2022 est.)
- Telephones - fixed lines
- total subscriptions: 51,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 27 (2022 est.) - Telephones - mobile cellular
- total subscriptions: 173,926 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 94 (2023 est.) - Broadcast media
- government-run TeleCuracao operates a TV station and a radio station; 2 other privately owned TV stations and several privately owned radio stations (2019)
- Internet country code
- .cw
- Internet users
- percent of population: 68% (2017 est.)
- Broadband - fixed subscriptions
- total: 61,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2022 est.)
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- PJ
- Airports
- 1 (2025)
- Merchant marine
- total: 57 (2023)
by type: general cargo 5, oil tanker 1, other 51 - Ports
- total ports: 4 (2024)
large: 0
medium: 2
small: 1
very small: 1
ports with oil terminals: 3
key ports: Bullenbaai, Caracasbaai, Sint Michelsbaai, Willemstad
- Military and security forces
- Curaçao Militia (CURMIL); Curaçao Volunteer Corps; Curacao Police Force (Korps Politie Curacao) (2025)
- Military - note
- defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the Dutch Government controls foreign and defense policy; local security forces are 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)); there are two Dutch naval bases on Curaçao, and the Dutch Army maintains a small unit on a rotational basis (2025)