Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Code: SB | Region: North America

Introduction

Background

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First settled by the French in the early 17th century, Saint Pierre and Miquelon are the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. They attained the status of an overseas collectivity in 2003.

Geography

Location

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Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)

Geographic coordinates

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46 50 N, 56 20 W

Map references

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North America

Area

total

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242 sq km

land

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242 sq km

water

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0 sq km

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note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups

Area - comparative

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1.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries

total

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0 km

Coastline

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120 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea

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12 nm

exclusive economic zone

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200 nm

Climate

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cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy

Terrain

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mostly barren rock

Elevation

highest point

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Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m

lowest point

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Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

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fish, deepwater ports

Land use

agricultural land

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8.7% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

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arable land: 8.7% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

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permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

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permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)

forest

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5% (2023 est.)

other

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86.3% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land

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0 sq km (2022)

Population distribution

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most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island

Natural hazards

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persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard

Geography - note

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vegetation scanty; the islands are part of the northern Appalachians, along with Newfoundland

People and Society

Population

total

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5,070 (2025 est.)

male

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2,442

female

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2,628

Nationality

noun

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Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

adjective

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French

Ethnic groups

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Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Languages

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French (official)

major-language sample(s)

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The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

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Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Age structure

0-14 years

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13.1% (male 346/female 328)

15-64 years

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61.6% (male 1,559/female 1,600)

65 years and over

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25.3% (2024 est.) (male 571/female 728)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio

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63.3 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

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21 (2025 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

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42.3 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

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2.4 (2025 est.)

Median age

total

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51.8 years (2025 est.)

male

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50.5 years

female

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51.9 years

Population growth rate

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-1.24% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Net migration rate

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-6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

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most of the population is found on Saint Pierre Island; a small settlement is located on the north end of Miquelon Island

Urbanization

urban population

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90.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization

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0.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

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6,000 SAINT-PIERRE (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth

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1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years

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1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years

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0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over

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0.78 male(s)/female

total population

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

Infant mortality rate

total

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

male

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9.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female

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5.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population

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81.8 years (2024 est.)

male

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79.5 years

female

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84.3 years

Total fertility rate

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1.6 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

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0.79 (2025 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: total

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total: 99.9% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

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total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

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65.2% (2020 est.)

Environment

Environmental issues

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overfishing

Climate

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cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy

Land use

agricultural land

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8.7% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

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arable land: 8.7% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

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permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

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permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)

forest

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5% (2023 est.)

other

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86.3% (2023 est.)

Urbanization

urban population

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90.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization

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0.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

total emissions

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57,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

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57,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Government

Country name

conventional long form

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Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

conventional short form

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Saint Pierre and Miquelon

local long form

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Département de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

local short form

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Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

etymology

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Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is reputed to be named after two navigators, one called Peter and one called Michael (in a nickname form) or Mikelon, a Basque name

Government type

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parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Dependency status

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overseas collectivity of France

Capital

name

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Saint-Pierre

geographic coordinates

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46 46 N, 56 11 W

time difference

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UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time

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+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

etymology

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may be named after Saint Peter, the patron saint of fisherman; alternatively, the name may come from one of the two navigators for whom the island as a whole is named 

Administrative divisions

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no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but 2 communes are considered second-order: Saint Pierre, Miquelon

Legal system

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French civil law

Constitution

history

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4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

amendment process

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amendment procedures of France's constitution apply

Citizenship

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see France

Suffrage

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18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state

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President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Bruno ANDRE (since September 2023)

head of government

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President of Territorial Council Marc DIDIO (since 12 January 2026)

cabinet

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Le Cabinet du Préfet

election/appointment process

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French president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; Territorial Council president elected by Territorial Council councilors by absolute majority vote; term NA

most recent election date

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13 October 2020

election results

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2020: Bernard BRIAND elected President of Territorial Council; Territorial Council vote - 17 for, 2 abstentions 2017: Stephane LENORMAND elected President of Territorial Council vote - NA

Legislative branch

legislature name

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Territorial Council (Conseil Territorial)

legislative structure

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unicameral

number of seats

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19 (directly elected)

electoral system

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plurality/majority

scope of elections

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full renewal

term in office

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6 years

most recent election date

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3/27/2022

parties elected and seats per party

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AD (15); Focus on the Future (4)

expected date of next election

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March 2028

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note: 1 senator is indirectly elected to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term, and 1 deputy is directly elected to the French National Assembly for a 5-year term

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

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Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Supérieur d'Appel (composition NA)

judge selection and term of office

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judge selection and tenure NA

Political parties

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Archipelago Tomorrow (Archipel Domain) or AD (affiliated with The Republicans) Focus on the Future (Cap sur l'Avenir) (affiliated with Left Radical Party) Together to Build (Ensemble pour Construire)

Diplomatic representation in the US

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none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

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none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

International organization participation

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UPU, WFTU (NGOs)

Independence

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none (overseas collectivity collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)

National holiday

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Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

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note: often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, France's national celebration commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison on 14 July 1789 and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are la Fête nationale (National Holiday) and le Quatorze Juillet (14th of July)

Flag

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description: a yellow three-masted sailing ship facing the left side rides on a blue background with wavy white lines; a black-over-white wavy line divides the ship from the white wavy lines; on the left side, a vertical band is divided into three heraldic arms: the top (called ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners and overlaid with a white cross, the middle is white with an ermine pattern, and the bottom is red with two yellow lions outlined in black meaning: the arms represent settlers from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy in France; blue symbolizes the Atlantic Ocean, and the ship represents explorer Jacques Cartier's ship when he visited the islands in 1536

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note: the flag of France used for official occasions

National symbol(s)

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16th-century sailing ship

National anthem(s)

title

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"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)

lyrics/music

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Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle

history

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official anthem, as a French collectivity

Economy

Economic overview

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high-income, French North American territorial economy; primarily fishing exports; substantial French Government support; highly seasonal labor force; euro user; increasing tourism and aquaculture investments

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015

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$261.3 million (2015 est.)

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note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million

GDP (official exchange rate)

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$261.3 million (2015 est.)

Agricultural products

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vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Industries

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fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

Exports - partners

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Canada 78%, Ireland 5%, France 5%, Djibouti 4%, UK 2% (2023)

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

Exports - commodities

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processed crustaceans, shellfish (2023)

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note: top export commodities based on value in dollars over $500,000

Imports - partners

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France 57%, Canada 37%, Netherlands 3%, Belgium 2%, Spain 0% (2023)

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

Imports - commodities

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refined petroleum, packaged medicine, cars, plastic products, other foods (2023)

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note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Exchange rates

Currency

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euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

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0.924 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

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0.925 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

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0.95 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

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0.845 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

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0.876 (2020 est.)

Energy

Electricity

installed generating capacity

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26,000 kW (2023 est.)

consumption

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48.714 million kWh (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

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2 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

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100% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

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400 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Communications

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions

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4,800 (2015 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

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76 (2015 est.)

Broadcast media

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8 TV stations, all part of the French Overseas Network, and local cable provided by SPM Telecom; 3 of 4 radio stations are part of the French Overseas Network (2021)

Internet country code

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.pm

Internet users

percent of population

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88.7% (2022 est.)

Transportation

Airports

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2 (2025)

Ports

total ports

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2 (2024)

large

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medium

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small

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very small

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size unknown

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ports with oil terminals

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key ports

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Miquelon, St. Pierre

Military and Security

Military - note

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defense is the responsibility of France