Montserrat

Central America and Caribbean Plymouth

Population

5.5K

Area

102 km²

GDP

$84.54M

GDP Per Capita

$19,300

Pop. Density

54/km²

Quick Facts

Currency

$Eastern Caribbean dollar(XCD)

Calling Code

+1664

Timezone

UTC-04:00

Languages

English

Driving Side

left

Demonym

Montserratian

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.

Geography17

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

People & Society23

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.)

Government21

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 arm

meaning: 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

Economy15

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.)

Energy4

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.)

Communications6

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.)

Transportation2

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

VP-M

Airports

1 (2025)

Military & Security2

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

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