Montserrat
Montserrat
- Background
- English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possession of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid-19th century. The Soufriere Hills Volcano erupted in 1995, devastating much of the island; two thirds of the population fled abroad. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in 2013.
- Location
- Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
- Geographic coordinates
- 16 45 N, 62 12 W
- Map references
- Central America and the Caribbean
- Area
- total: 102 sq km
land: 102 sq km
water: 0 sq km - Area - comparative
- about 0.6 times the size of Washington, D.C.
- Land boundaries
- total: 0 km
- Coastline
- 40 km
- Maritime claims
- territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm - Climate
- tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
- Terrain
- volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland
- Elevation
- highest point: Soufriere Hills volcano pre-eruption height was 915 m; current lava dome is subject to periodic build up and collapse; estimated dome height was 1,050 m in 2015
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m - Natural resources
- NEGL
- Land use
- agricultural land: 30% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 20% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 10% (2023 est.)
forest: 24.2% (2023 est.)
other: 45.8% (2023 est.) - Irrigated land
- 0 sq km (2022)
- Population distribution
- only the northern half of the island is populated; the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity
- Natural hazards
- volcanic eruptions; severe hurricanes (June to November) volcanism: Soufrière Hills volcano (915 m) has erupted continuously since 1995; a massive eruption in 1997 destroyed most of the capital, Plymouth, and made about half of the island uninhabitable; the island of Montserrat is part of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from Saba in the north to Grenada in the south
- Geography - note
- the island is entirely volcanic in origin and composed of three major volcanic centers of differing ages
- Population
- total: 5,468 (2024 est.)
male: 2,728
female: 2,740 - Nationality
- noun: Montserratian(s)
adjective: Montserratian - Ethnic groups
- African/Black 86.2%, mixed 4.8%, Hispanic/Spanish 3%, Caucasian/White 2.7%, East Indian/Indian 1.6%, other 1.8% (2018 est.)
- Languages
- English
- Religions
- Protestant 71.4% (includes Anglican 17.7%, Pentecostal/Full Gospel 16.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 15%, Methodist 13.9%, Church of God 6.7%, other Protestant 2%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Rastafarian 1.4%, Hindu 1.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, Muslim 0.4%, other/not stated 5.1%, none 7.9% (2018 est.)
- Age structure
- 0-14 years: 15.8% (male 446/female 420)
15-64 years: 76.1% (male 2,062/female 2,101)
65 years and over: 8% (2024 est.) (male 220/female 219) - Dependency ratios
- total dependency ratio: 31.3 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 20.8 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 10.5 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio: 9.5 (2024 est.) - Median age
- total: 37.1 years (2025 est.)
male: 35.4 years
female: 37.8 years - Population growth rate
- 0.55% (2025 est.)
- Birth rate
- 11.64 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Net migration rate
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- only the northern half of the island is populated; the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity
- Urbanization
- urban population: 9.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.94% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) - Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.) - Infant mortality rate
- total: 9.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 8 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.6 deaths/1,000 live births - Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 76.1 years (2024 est.)
male: 76.9 years
female: 75.3 years - Total fertility rate
- 1.34 children born/woman (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 0.65 (2025 est.)
- Drinking water source
- improved: total: total: 98.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 1.9% of population (2022 est.) - Sanitation facility access
- improved: total: total: 99.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.) - Currently married women (ages 15-49)
- 35.8% (2023 est.)
- Education expenditure
- Education expenditure (% GDP): 7.2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 5.7% national budget (2025 est.)
- Environmental issues
- land erosion on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation
- Climate
- tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
- Land use
- agricultural land: 30% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 20% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 10% (2023 est.)
forest: 24.2% (2023 est.)
other: 45.8% (2023 est.) - Urbanization
- urban population: 9.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.94% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) - Carbon dioxide emissions
- total emissions: 24,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 24,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- Country name
- conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Montserrat
etymology: explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in 1493 after the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat, near Barcelona, Spain - Government type
- parliamentary democracy; self-governing overseas territory of the UK
- Dependency status
- overseas territory of the UK
- Capital
- name: Plymouth
geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: now entirely deserted because of volcanic activity, the city was named after Plymouth, England - Administrative divisions
- 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter
- Legal system
- English common law
- Constitution
- history: previous 1960; latest put into force 20 October 2010 (The Montserrat Constitution Order 2010)
- Citizenship
- see United Kingdom
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal
- Executive branch
- chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Sarah TUCKER (since 6 April 2023)
head of government: Premier Easton TAYLOR-FARRELL (since 19 November 2019)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the premier, 3 other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary
election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes premier - Legislative branch
- legislature name: Legislative Assembly
legislative structure: unicameral
number of seats: 12 (directly elected)
electoral system: plurality/majority
scope of elections: full renewal
term in office: 5 years
most recent election date: 11/18/2019
parties elected and seats per party: MCAP (5); PDM (3); independent (1)
percentage of women in chamber: 33.3%
expected date of next election: 2024 - Judicial branch
- 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; Montserrat 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 British monarch; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, and 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 - Political parties
- Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP People's Democratic Movement or PDM
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- none (overseas territory of the UK)
- Diplomatic representation from the US
- embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK); alternate contact is the US Embassy in Barbados [1] (246) 227-4000; US Embassy Bridgetown, Wildey Business Park, St. Michael BB 14006, Barbados, WI
- International organization participation
- Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU
- Independence
- none (overseas territory of the UK)
- National holiday
- Official birthday of King Charles III, usually celebrated the second Saturday in June (1948)
- Flag
- description: blue with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the right half of the flag; the arms show a woman in a green dress standing beside a yellow harp and embracing a large, dark-brown cross with her right armmeaning: the woman is Erin, the female personification of Ireland, the harp is an Irish symbol, and the cross represents the Christian faith; blue stands for awareness, trustworthiness, determination, and righteousness
- National coat of arms
- Montserrat's coat of arms dates back to 1909 and reflects the country's Irish settlers, who first arrived in 1632; the woman in the green dress is Erin, the personification of Ireland, and she holds Ireland's symbol, a gold harp; the cross represents Christianity, Monserrat's predominant religion
- National anthem(s)
- title: "God Save the King"
lyrics/music: unknown
history: official anthem, as a UK territory
- Economic overview
- formerly high-income economy; volcanic activity destroyed much of original infrastructure and economy; new capital and port is being developed; key geothermal and solar power generation; key music recording operations
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $89.254 million (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $86.875 million (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $80.972 million (2022 est.) - Real GDP per capita
- Real GDP per capita 2024: $19,300 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $18,200 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $16,200 (2022 est.) - GDP (official exchange rate)
- $84.537 million (2024 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 4% (2022 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021: 1.7% (2021 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020: -1.9% (2020 est.) - GDP - composition, by end use
- household consumption: 90.8% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 50.4% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 17.9% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -0.1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 29.5% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -88.6% (2017 est.) - Agricultural products
- cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products
- Industries
- tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances
- Budget
- revenues: $55.651 million (2014 est.)
expenditures: $43.652 million (2014 est.) - Exports - partners
- USA 25%, Antigua & Barbuda 13%, Guyana 13%, Egypt 12%, France 10% (2023)
- Exports - commodities
- gravel and crushed stone, sand (2023)
- Imports
- Imports 2021: $15.3 million (2021 est.)
Imports 2017: $39.44 million (2017 est.)
Imports 2016: $36.1 million (2016 est.) - Imports - partners
- USA 62%, Antigua & Barbuda 6%, UK 5%, Belgium 4%, Trinidad & Tobago 3% (2023)
- Imports - commodities
- refined petroleum, electric generating sets, cars, stone processing machines, x-ray equipment (2023)
- Exchange rates
- Currency: East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 2.7 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 2.7 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 2.7 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 2.7 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 2.7 (2020 est.)
- Electricity access
- electrification - total population: 100% (2020)
- Electricity
- installed generating capacity: 6,000 kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 15.968 million kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 370,000 kWh (2023 est.) - Electricity generation sources
- fossil fuels: 87.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 12.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) - Petroleum
- refined petroleum consumption: 200 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- Telephones - fixed lines
- total subscriptions: 3,000 (2020 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 67 (2020 est.) - Telephones - mobile cellular
- total subscriptions: 5,000 (2020 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2020 est.) - Broadcast media
- Radio Montserrat, a public radio broadcaster, transmits on 1 station and has a repeater transmission to a second station; repeater transmissions from the GEM Radio Network of Trinidad and Tobago provide another 2 radio stations; cable and satellite TV available (2007)
- Internet country code
- .ms
- Internet users
- percent of population: 54.6% (2011 est.)
- Broadband - fixed subscriptions
- total: 2,700 (2018 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 55 (2018 est.)
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- VP-M
- Airports
- 1 (2025)
- Military and security forces
- no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Defense Force (ceremonial, civil defense duties), Montserrat Police Force (2025)
- Military - note
- defense is the responsibility of the UK