Montserrat

LOCATION

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