The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies. When the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency. The territory has transformed itself into a significant offshore financial center.
land: 264 sq km
water: 0 sq km
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
arable land: 0.8% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 8.3% (2018 est.)
forest: 52.9% (2018 est.)
other: 35.9% (2018 est.)
65,483 (2023 est.)
note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman
noun: Caymanian(s)
adjective: Caymanian
mixed 40%, White 20%, African descent 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20%
English (official) 90.9%, Spanish 4%, Filipino 3.3%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)
Protestant 67.8% (includes Church of God 22.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 9.4%, Presbyterian/United Church 8.6%, Baptist 8.3%, Pentecostal 7.1%, non-denominational 5.3%, Anglican 4.1%, Wesleyan Holiness 2.4%), Roman Catholic 14.1%, Jehovah’s Witness 1.1%, other 7%, none 9.3%, unspecified 0.7% (2010 est.)
0-14 years: 17.48% (male 5,761/female 5,684)
15-64 years: 66.48% (male 21,271/female 22,261)
65 years and over: 16.04% (2023 est.) (male 4,792/female 5,714)
total dependency ratio: 32.6
youth dependency ratio: 22.3
elderly dependency ratio: 10.4
potential support ratio: 9.6 (2021)
total: 41 years (2023 est.)
male: 40.2 years
female: 41.8 years
1.79% (2023 est.)
11.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
12.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US
majority of the population resides on Grand Cayman
urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
35,000 GEORGE TOWN (capital) (2018)
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
total: 7.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.9 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 82.3 years (2023 est.)
male: 79.6 years
female: 85 years
1.82 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.9 (2023 est.)
NA
improved: urban: 97.4% of population
total: 97.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 2.6% of population
total: 2.6% of population (2015 est.)
NA
NA
improved: urban: 95.6% of population
total: 95.6% of population
unimproved: urban: 4.4% of population
total: 4.4% of population (2015 est.)
NA
51.4% (2023 est.)
2.1% of GDP (2019)
total population: 98.9% NA
male: 98.7% NA
female: 99% (2021) NA
no natural freshwater resources; drinking water supplies are met by reverse osmosis desalination plants and rainwater catchment; trash washing up on the beaches or being deposited there by residents; no recycling or waste treatment facilities; deforestation (trees being cut down to create space for commercial use)
tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)
agricultural land: 11.2% (2018 est.)
arable land: 0.8% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 8.3% (2018 est.)
forest: 52.9% (2018 est.)
other: 35.9% (2018 est.)
urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 1.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 0.55 megatons (2016 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 60,000 tons (2014 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 12,600 tons (2013 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 21% (2013 est.)
dominant offshore banking territory; services sector accounts for over 85% of economic activity; recently adopted a fiscal responsibility framework to combat tax evasion and money laundering; large tourism sector; does not have any welfare system; high standard of living
$4.599 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$4.516 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$4.788 billion (2019 est.)
1.84% (2021 est.)
-5.68% (2020 est.)
3.87% (2019 est.)
$67,500 (2021 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$67,100 (2020 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$72,400 (2019 est.)
$2.25 billion (2008 est.)
2% (2017 est.)
-0.6% (2016 est.)
Moody’s rating: Aa3 (1997)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 0.3% (2017 est.)
industry: 7.4% (2017 est.)
services: 92.3% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 62.3% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 14.5% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 22.1% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 65.4% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -64.2% (2017 est.)
vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming
tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture
-3.36% (2020 est.)
39,000 (2007 est.)
note: nearly 55% are non-nationals
4% (2008)
4.4% (2004)
total: 13.8% (2015 est.)
male: 16.4%
female: 11.4%
NA
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
revenues: $874.5 million (2017 est.)
expenditures: $766.6 million (2017 est.)
4.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
38.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
1 April - 31 March
-$763.556 million (2020 est.)
-$646.843 million (2019 est.)
-$927.544 million (2018 est.)
$3.652 billion (2020 est.)
$4.205 billion (2019 est.)
$3.959 billion (2018 est.)
note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Netherlands 82%, Spain 11% (2019)
recreational boats, aircraft, ships, gold, refined petroleum, natural gas (2021)
$2.507 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$2.743 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$2.518 billion (2018 est.)
Netherlands 56%, United States 18%, Italy 8%, Switzerland 5% (2019)
recreational boats, ships, gold, refined petroleum, cars (2019)
$216.8 million (31 December 2020 est.)
$183.5 million (31 December 2019 est.)
$162.074 million (31 December 2018 est.)
Caymanian dollars (KYD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
0.833 (2021 est.)
0.833 (2020 est.)
0.833 (2019 est.)
0.833 (2018 est.)
0.833 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 174,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 655.165 million kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 40 million kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 97.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 2.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 5,500 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
4,285 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
808,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 808,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
175.578 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6
VP-C
3 (2021)
3
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
1
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
total: 785 km (2007)
paved: 785 km (2007)
total: 139 (2022)
by type: bulk carrier 29, container ship 3, general cargo 1, oil tanker 20, other 86
major seaport(s): Cayman Brac, George Town
cruise port(s): George Town, Grand Cayman
manyapis