Anguilla

Code: AV | Region: Central America N Caribbean

Introduction

Background

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English settlers from Saint Kitts first colonized Anguilla in 1650. Great Britain administered the island until the early 19th century, when -- against the wishes of the inhabitants -- Anguilla was incorporated into a single British dependency along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, when Anguilla became a separate British dependency. In 2017, Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage on the island, particularly to communications and residential and business infrastructure.

Geography

Location

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Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates

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18 15 N, 63 10 W

Map references

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Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total

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91 sq km

land

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91 sq km

water

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0 sq km

Area - comparative

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about one-half the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries

total

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0 km

Coastline

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61 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea

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12 nm

exclusive economic zone

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200 nm

exclusive fishing zone

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200 nm

Climate

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tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Terrain

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flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Elevation

highest point

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Crocus Hill 73 m

lowest point

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Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources

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salt, fish, lobster

Land use

agricultural land

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0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

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arable land: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

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permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

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permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest

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61.1% (2022 est.)

other

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38.9% (2022 est.)

Irrigated land

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0 sq km (2020)

Population distribution

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most of the population is concentrated in The Valley in the center of the island; settlement is fairly uniform in the southwest, but rather sparse in the northeast

Natural hazards

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frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)

Geography - note

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the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

People and Society

Population

total

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19,416 (2024 est.)

male

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9,107

female

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10,309

Nationality

noun

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Anguillan(s)

adjective

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Anguillan

Ethnic groups

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African/Black 85.3%, Hispanic 4.9%, mixed 3.8%, White 3.2%, East Indian/Indian 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)

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note: data represent population by ethnic origin

Languages

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English (official)

Religions

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Protestant 73.2% (includes Anglican 22.7%, Methodist 19.4%, Pentecostal 10.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.3%, Baptist 7.1%, Church of God 4.9%, Presbyterian 0.2%, Brethren 0.1%), Roman Catholic 6.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other Christian 10.9%, other 3.2%, unspecified 0.3%, none 4.5% (2011 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years

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20.8% (male 2,056/female 1,992)

15-64 years

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67.5% (male 5,958/female 7,147)

65 years and over

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11.7% (2024 est.) (male 1,093/female 1,170)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio

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48.2 (2024 est.)

youth dependency ratio

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30.9 (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

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17.3 (2024 est.)

potential support ratio

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5.8 (2024 est.)

Median age

total

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37.5 years (2025 est.)

male

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34.8 years

female

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39 years

Population growth rate

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1.71% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

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11.69 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

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4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Net migration rate

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10.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

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most of the population is concentrated in The Valley in the center of the island; settlement is fairly uniform in the southwest, but rather sparse in the northeast

Urbanization

urban population

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100% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization

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0.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

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1,000 THE VALLEY (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth

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1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years

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1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years

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0.83 male(s)/female

65 years and over

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0.93 male(s)/female

total population

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0.88 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total

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2.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male

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3.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female

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2.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population

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82.6 years (2024 est.)

male

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80 years

female

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85.3 years

Total fertility rate

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1.72 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

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0.85 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: total

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total: 97.5% of population

Physician density

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1.51 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP)

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2.5% of GDP (2022 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

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10.3% national budget (2024 est.)

Environment

Environmental issues

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inadequate potable water

Climate

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tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Land use

agricultural land

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0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

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arable land: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

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permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

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permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest

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61.1% (2022 est.)

other

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38.9% (2022 est.)

Urbanization

urban population

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100% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization

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0.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Government

Country name

conventional long form

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none

conventional short form

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Anguilla

etymology

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in 1493, Christopher COLUMBUS named the island Anguilla, meaning "eel" in Spanish, because of the island's elongated shape

Government type

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parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK

Dependency status

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overseas territory of the UK

Capital

name

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The Valley

geographic coordinates

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18 13 N, 63 03 W

time difference

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UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology

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name may derive from the capital's location among several hills

Legal system

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common law based on the English model

Constitution

history

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several previous; latest 1 April 1982

Citizenship

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see United Kingdom

Suffrage

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18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state

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King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Julia CROUCH (since 11 September 2023)

head of government

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Premier Cora RICHARDSON-HODGE (since 27 February 2025)

cabinet

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Executive Council appointed by the governor from among elected members of the House of Assembly

election/appointment process

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the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the governor usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as premier 

Legislative branch

legislature name

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House of Assembly

legislative structure

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unicameral

number of seats

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11 (7 directly elected, 2 appointed, 2 ex-officio members)

electoral system

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plurality/majority

scope of elections

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full renewal

term in office

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5 years

most recent election date

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6/29/2020

parties elected and seats per party

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APM (7); AUF (4)

percentage of women in chamber

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27.3%

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

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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

judge selection and term of office

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Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the British monarch; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; 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

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Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court

Political parties

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Anguilla Progressive Movement or APM; (formerly Anguilla United Movement or AUM) Anguilla United Front or AUF

Diplomatic representation in the US

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none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

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none (overseas territory of the UK); alternate contact is the US Embassy in Barbados [1] (246) 227-4000

International organization participation

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Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU

Independence

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none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday

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Anguilla Day, 30 May (1967)

Flag

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description: blue, with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms shows three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background, with a turquoise-blue field below meaning: the white on the coat of arms stands for peace; the blue base for the sea, faith, youth, and hope; and the three dolphins for endurance, unity, and strength

National symbol(s)

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dolphin

National coat of arms

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the Anguillan coat of arms features three interlocking dolphins jumping out of seawater; they represent endurance, unity, and strength, and their circular motion stands for continuity; the white background symbolizes peace and tranquility, and the turquoise-blue base represents the sea, as well as faith, youth, and hope

National anthem(s)

title

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"God Save the King"

lyrics/music

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unknown

history

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official anthem, as an overseas UK territory

Economy

Economic overview

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small, tourism-dependent, territorial-island economy; very high public debt; COVID-19 crippled economic activity; partial recovery underway via tourism, benefitting from its high amount of timeshare residences; considering reopening oil refinery

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

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$362.499 million (2024 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

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$345.238 million (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

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$336.924 million (2022 est.)

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note: data in 2015 dollars

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

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$31,000 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

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$28,900 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

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$27,400 (2022 est.)

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note: data in 2015 dollars

GDP (official exchange rate)

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$452.73 million (2024 est.)

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note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

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3% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

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1.8% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

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-0.5% (2020 est.)

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note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Agricultural products

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small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising

Industries

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tourism, boat building, offshore financial services

Budget

revenues

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$81.925 million (2017 est.)

expenditures

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$72.352 million (2017 est.)

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note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Public debt

Public debt 2014

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20.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

Exports

Exports 2017

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$7.9 million (2017 est.)

Exports 2016

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$3.9 million (2016 est.)

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note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - partners

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Chile 60%, Netherlands 8%, Brazil 5%, Hungary 4%, USA 4% (2023)

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note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

Exports - commodities

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packaged medicine, garments, vehicle parts/accessories, vaccines, cars (2023)

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note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

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Chile 50%, USA 27%, Botswana 15%, Japan 1%, Dominican Republic 1% (2023)

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note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Imports - commodities

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poultry, copper ore, natural gas, refined petroleum, fish (2023)

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note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Exchange rates

Currency

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East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

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2.7 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

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2.7 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

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2.7 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

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2.7 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

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2.7 (2020 est.)

Energy

Electricity access

electrification - total population

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100% (2020)

Communications

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions

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6,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

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38 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions

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25,870 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

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163 (2022 est.)

Broadcast media

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1 private TV station; multi-channel cable TV subscription services are available; about 10 radio stations, one of which is government-owned (2024)

Internet country code

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.ai

Internet users

percent of population

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81.6% (2021 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total

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5,000 (2018 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

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35 (2018 est.)

Transportation

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

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VP-A

Airports

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1 (2025)

Merchant marine

total

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2 (2023)

by type

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other 2

Military and Security

Military - note

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defense is the responsibility of the UK