Saint Barthelemy

Code: TB | Region: Central America N Caribbean

Introduction

Background

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In 1493, Christopher COLUMBUS named Saint Barthelemy for his brother Bartolomeo, but the island was first settled by the French in 1648. In 1784, France sold the island to Sweden, which renamed the largest town Gustavia after the Swedish King GUSTAV III and made it a free port; the island prospered as a trade and supply center during the colonial wars of the 18th century. France repurchased the island in 1877 and took control the following year, placing it under the administration of Guadeloupe. Saint Barthelemy retained its free port status along with various Swedish appellations such as Swedish street and town names, and the three-crown symbol on the coat of arms. In 2003, the islanders voted to secede from Guadeloupe, and in 2007, the island became a French overseas collectivity. In 2012, it became an overseas territory of the EU, allowing it to exert local control over the permanent and temporary immigration of foreign workers, including non-French European citizens. Hurricane Irma hit the island in 2017 and caused extensive damage.

Geography

Location

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Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean; located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; Saint Barthelemy lies east of the US Virgin Islands

Geographic coordinates

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17 90 N, 62 85 W

Map references

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Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total

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25 sq km

land

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25 sq km

water

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negligible

Area - comparative

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less than one-eighth the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries

total

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0 km

Climate

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tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Terrain

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hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with plentiful beaches

Elevation

highest point

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Morne du Vitet 286 m

lowest point

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Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources

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few natural resources; beaches foster tourism

Land use

agricultural land

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0% (2022 est.)

forest

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8.5% (2022 est.)

other

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91.5% (2022 est.)

Population distribution

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most of the populace is concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island's periphery

Geography - note

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a 1,200-hectare (3,000-acre) marine nature reserve, the Reserve Naturelle, is made up of five zones around the island that form a network to protect the island's coral reefs, seagrass, and endangered marine species

People and Society

Population

total

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7,079 (2025 est.)

male

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3,730

female

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3,349

Ethnic groups

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French, Portuguese, Caribbean, Afro-Caribbean

Languages

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French (primary), English

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.

Age structure

0-14 years

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13.9% (male 506/female 479)

15-64 years

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63.1% (male 2,413/female 2,057)

65 years and over

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23% (2024 est.) (male 818/female 813)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio

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60.1 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

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22 (2025 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

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38 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

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2.6 (2025 est.)

Median age

total

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47.7 years (2025 est.)

male

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47 years

female

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47.8 years

Population growth rate

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-0.08% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Net migration rate

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-0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

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most of the populace is concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island's periphery

Sex ratio

at birth

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1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years

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1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years

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1.17 male(s)/female

65 years and over

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1.01 male(s)/female

total population

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

Infant mortality rate

total

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

male

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7.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female

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5.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population

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81 years (2024 est.)

male

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78 years

female

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84.2 years

Total fertility rate

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1.64 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

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0.79 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban

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urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

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total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

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urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

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total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban

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urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

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total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

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urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

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total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Environment

Environmental issues

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land-based pollution; urbanization; limited freshwater resources; overfishing

Climate

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tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Land use

agricultural land

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0% (2022 est.)

forest

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8.5% (2022 est.)

other

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91.5% (2022 est.)

Government

Country name

conventional long form

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Overseas Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy

conventional short form

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Saint Barthelemy

local long form

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Collectivité d'outre mer de Saint-Barthélemy

local short form

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Saint-Barthélemy

abbreviation

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Saint-Barth (French)/ St. Barts or St. Barths (English)

etymology

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explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in honor of his brother Bartolomeo in 1493

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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Gustavia

geographic coordinates

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17 53 N, 62 51 W

time difference

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

etymology

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named in honor of King GUSTAV III of Sweden, who was ruler when Sweden bought the island from France in 1784; the name was retained when the island was sold back to France in 1878 

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 Cyrille LE VELY (since 15 January 2025)

head of government

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President of Territorial Council Xavier LEDEE (since 3 April 2022)

cabinet

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Executive Council elected by the Territorial Council; there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council

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 the French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; president of Territorial Council indirectly elected by its members for a 5-year term

most recent election date

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27 March 2022

election results

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2022: Xavier LEDEE (Saint Barth United) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 13 votes for, 6 blank votes 2017: Bruno MAGRAS (Saint Barth First!) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 14 out of 19 votes

expected date of next election

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2027

Legislative branch

legislature name

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Territorial Council

legislative structure

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unicameral

number of seats

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19 (directly elected)

electoral system

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mixed

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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3/27/2022

parties elected and seats per party

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Saint Barth Action-Équilibre and Unis pour Saint Barthelemy (13); SBA (6)

expected date of next election

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2027

note

note: 1 senator is indirectly elected to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term, and 1 deputy (shared with Saint Martin) is directly elected to the French National Assembly for a five-year term

Political parties

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All for Saint Barth (Tous pour Saint-Barth) Saint Barth Action Equilibre Saint Barth First! (Saint-Barth d'Abord!) or SBA (affiliated with France's Republican party, Les Republicans) Saint Barth United (Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy)

Diplomatic representation in the US

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none (overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

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none (overseas collectivity of France)

International organization participation

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ACS (associate), UPU

Independence

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none (overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday

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Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

note

note 1: local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August (1572) note 2: 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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the flag of France is used

National symbol(s)

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pelican

National anthem(s)

title

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"La Marseillaise"

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 Caribbean territorial economy; duty-free luxury commerce and tourism industries; import-dependent for food, water, energy, and manufacturing; large Brazilian and Portuguese labor supply; environmentally fragile

Exports - partners

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Spain 57%, Switzerland 24%, France 6%, Ireland 5%, Canada 2% (2023)

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

Exports - commodities

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refined copper, jewelry (2023)

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

Imports - partners

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Switzerland 50%, Portugal 14%, Brazil 6%, Japan 5%, Ireland 5% (2023)

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

Imports - commodities

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precious metal watches, base metal watches, jewelry, cars, garments (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 access

electrification - total population

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100% (2021)

Communications

Broadcast media

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2 local TV broadcasters; 5 FM radio channels (2021)

Internet country code

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.bl

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note: .gp, the Internet country code for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the Internet country code for France, are also used

Internet users

percent of population

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71.3% (2022 est.)

Transportation

Airports

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1 (2025)

Military and Security

Military - note

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defense is the responsibility of France