Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which colonized the island in 1805. Slavery ended in 1833 and in 1835 the first three men of African descent were elected to the legislative assembly of Dominica. In 1871, Dominica became part first of the British Leeward Islands and then the British Windward Islands until 1958. In 1967, Dominica became an associated state of the UK, and formally took responsibility for its internal affairs. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica’s fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. On 18 September 2017, Hurricane Maria passed over the island, causing extensive damage to structures, roads, communications, and the power supply, and largely destroying critical agricultural areas.
land: 751 sq km
water: NEGL
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
arable land: 8% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 24% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 2.7% (2018 est.)
forest: 59.2% (2018 est.)
other: 6.1% (2018 est.)
74,656 (2023 est.)
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican
African descent 84.5%, mixed 9%, Indigenous 3.8%, other 2.1%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
English (official), French patois
Roman Catholic 52.7%, Protestant 29.7% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 6.7%, Pentecostal 6.1%, Baptist 5.2%, Christian Union Church 3.9%, Methodist 2.6%, Gospel Mission 2.1%, other Protestant 3.1%), Jehovah’s Witness 1.3%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 4.3%, none 9.4%, unspecified 1.4% (2011 est.)
0-14 years: 20.82% (male 7,954/female 7,592)
15-64 years: 65.82% (male 25,085/female 24,053)
65 years and over: 13.36% (2023 est.) (male 4,712/female 5,260)
total dependency ratio: 41.2
youth dependency ratio: 28
elderly dependency ratio: 13.2
potential support ratio: 7.6 (2021)
total: 36.5 years (2023 est.)
male: 36 years
female: 37.1 years
0.02% (2023 est.)
13.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-5.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
population is mosly clustered along the coast, with roughly a third living in the parish of St. George, in or around the capital of Roseau; the volcanic interior is sparsely populated
urban population: 72% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
15,000 ROSEAU (capital) (2018)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
total: 11 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 14.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 78.5 years (2023 est.)
male: 75.5 years
female: 81.5 years
2.01 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.98 (2023 est.)
NA
improved: urban: 95.7% of population
unimproved: urban: 4.3% of population
5.7% of GDP (2020)
1.1 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
3.8 beds/1,000 population
27.9% (2016)
total: 6.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.64 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 4.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
NA
40.3% (2023 est.)
5.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
3,000-3,500 Kalinago (Carib) still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the Caribbean; only 70-100 may be “pure” Kalinago because of years of integration into the broader population
water shortages a continuing concern; pollution from agrochemicals and from untreated sewage; forests endangered by the expansion of farming; soil erosion; pollution of the coastal zone by agricultural and industrial chemicals, and untreated sewage
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
agricultural land: 34.7% (2018 est.)
arable land: 8% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 24% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 2.7% (2018 est.)
forest: 59.2% (2018 est.)
other: 6.1% (2018 est.)
urban population: 72% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.03% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 8.22 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 0.18 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 0.04 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 13,176 tons (2013 est.)
municipal: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 0 cubic meters (2017 est.)
agricultural: 1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
200 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
highly agrarian OECS island economy; ECCU-member state; large banana exporter; improved oversight of its citizenship-by-investment program; emerging ecotourism, information and communications, and education industries
$787.7 million (2021 est.)
$738.364 million (2020 est.)
$885.38 million (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
6.68% (2021 est.)
-16.6% (2020 est.)
5.5% (2019 est.)
$10,900 (2021 est.)
$10,300 (2020 est.)
$12,400 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$557 million (2017 est.)
-0.73% (2020 est.)
1.5% (2019 est.)
0.99% (2018 est.)
agriculture: 22.3% (2017 est.)
industry: 12.6% (2017 est.)
services: 65.1% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 60.6% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 26.2% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 21.5% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 54.4% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -62.7% (2017 est.)
bananas, yams, grapefruit, taro, milk, coconuts, oranges, yautia, plantains, sugar cane
note: forest and fishery potential not exploited
soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes
5.01% (2021 est.)
25,000 (2000 est.)
23% (2000 est.)
29% (2009 est.)
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
revenues: $180 million (2021 est.)
expenditures: $184 million (2021 est.)
-5.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
82.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
71.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
40.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
1 July - 30 June
-$178.763 million (2021 est.)
-$147.521 million (2020 est.)
-$210.115 million (2019 est.)
$104.959 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$94.823 million (2020 est.)
$211.175 million (2019 est.)
Saudi Arabia 28%, France 6%, United States 5%, Grenada 5%, China 4% (2021)
medical instruments, low-voltage protection equipment, sutures, soap, bandages (2021)
$302 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$279 million (2020 est.)
$415 million (2019 est.)
United States 75%, China 5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4%, United Kingdom 2%, Italy 2% (2021)
refined petroleum, natural gas, crude petroleum, recreational boats, cars (2021)
$190.843 million (31 December 2021 est.)
$165.824 million (31 December 2020 est.)
$155.172 million (31 December 2019 est.)
$280.4 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$314.2 million (31 December 2015 est.)
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
2.7 (2021 est.)
2.7 (2020 est.)
2.7 (2019 est.)
2.7 (2018 est.)
2.7 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 42,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 82.078 million kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 8.1 million kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 74.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 24.5% 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: 1,200 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 (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
1,237 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.)
182,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 182,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
37.513 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
J7
2 (2021)
2
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.)
total: 1,512 km (2018)
paved: 762 km (2018)
unpaved: 750 km (2018)
total: 84 (2022)
by type: general cargo 31, oil tanker 13, other 40
major seaport(s): Portsmouth, Roseau
manyapis