Bermuda

parliamentaryIndependence none (overseas territory of the UK)

Bermuda as the 2014 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 137 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalHamilton, UTC-4
Position32 20 N, 64 45 W
Area54 sq km
LocationNorth America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US)
Populationas each edition published it
69,839 people July 2014 est. · 58,337 in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.52% 2014 est. · 0.78% in 1993
Median ageyears
42.9 years 2014 est. · 38.7 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
81.04 years 2014 est. · 75.03 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.95 children per woman 2014 est. · 1.7 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
2.48 deaths per 1,000 live births 2014 est. · 12 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$86,000 2011 est. · $22,000 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-3.5% 2011 · -1.5% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Self-governing since 1620, Bermuda is the oldest and most populous of the British overseas territories. Vacationing to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has also developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. A referendum on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995.

Geography

North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US)

17 fields

Land useshare of 54 sq km

arable land 14.8%permanent crops 0%other 85.2% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2011)
Area
54sq km
country comparison to the world: 232land: 54 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmabout one-third the size of Washington, DC
Coastline
103km
land boundaries: 0 kmterritorial sea: 12 nmexclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Highest point
76m
Town Hilllowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Location

North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US)

Geographic coordinates

32 20 N, 64 45 W

Map references

North America

Climate

  • subtropical;
  • mild, humid;
  • gales, strong winds common in winter

Terrain

low hills separated by fertile depressions

Natural resources

limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism

Natural hazards

hurricanes (June to November)

Environment - current issues

sustainable development

Geography - note

  • consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes;
  • some land was leased by the US Government from 1941 to 1995

People and Society

24 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2014 est.)

4,821
65 and over16.4%
6,652
4,813
55-6414.6%
5,368
13,706
25-5439.3%
13,741
4,275
15-2412.2%
4,267
6,165
0-1417.5%
6,031
MaleFemale
Population
69,839
(July 2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 204growth rate: 0.52% (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 154

Per 1,000 population(2014 est.)

Birth
11.35Death
8.06Net migration
1.92

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2014 est.)81.04
77.83 · 84.31Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)2.48
2.58 · 2.37Literacy (2005 est.)98%
98% · 99%
TotalMale · femaleMedian age years (2014 est.)42.9
41.1 · 44.6School life expectancy years (2011)12
11 · 13Youth unemployment ages 15-24 (2000)10.8%
14.3% · 7.6%
MaleFemaleLife expectancy country comparison to the world: 23 · Infant mortality country comparison to the world: 222 · Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write · Youth unemployment ages 15-24 country comparison to the world: 106

Ethnic groups(2010 est.)

black 53.8%white 31%mixed 7.5%other 7.1%unspecified 0.6% (2010 est.)

Religions(2010 est.)

Protestant 46.1% (Anglican 15.8%, African Methodist Episcopal 8.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 6.7, Pentecostal 3.5%, Methodist 2.7%, Presbyterian 2.0 %, Church of God 1.6%, Baptist 1.2%, Salvation Army 1.1%, Bretheren 1.0%, other Protestant 2.0%)Roman Catholic 14.5%Jehovah's Witness 1.3%other Christian 9.1%Muslim 1%other 3.9%none 17.8%unspecified 6.2% (2010 est.)
Urban population
100%of total population
(2011)rate of urbanization: 0.19% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)Major urban areas - population: HAMILTON (capital) 11,000 (2011)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.3%
(2005 est.)country comparison to the world: 89

Nationality

noun:
Bermudian(s)
adjective:
Bermudian

Languages

English (official), Portuguese

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.02 male(s)/female
0-14 years:
1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years:
1 male(s)/female
25-54 years:
1 male(s)/female
55-64 years:
0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.72 male(s)/female
total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.95 children born/woman (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 133

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

163 (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 165

HIV/AIDS - deaths

392 (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 99

Education expenditures

2.6% of GDP (2010) country comparison to the world: 151

Government

Parliamentary; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Premier Michael DUNKLEY (since 20 May 2014)

22 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

51.7%
OBA 51.7%PLP 46.1%other 2.2%last held on 17 December 2012 (next to be held not later than 2017)

Legislature, 36 seats, elected 17 December 2012one dot, one seat

OBA 19PLP 17

Percent of vote

OBA 51.7%PLP 46.1%other 2.2%

Country name

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Bermuda
former:
Somers Islands

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Government type

parliamentary; self-governing territory

Capital

name:
Hamilton
geographic coordinates:
32 17 N, 64 47 W
time difference:
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time:
+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

Administrative divisions

9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday

Bermuda Day, 24 May

Constitution

  • several previous (dating to 1684);
  • latest entered into force 8 June 1968;
  • amended several times, last in 2003 (2013)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor George FERGUSSON (since 23 May 2012)
head of government:
Premier Michael DUNKLEY (since 20 May 2014)
cabinet:
Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)
elections:
  • the monarchy is hereditary;
  • governor appointed by the monarch;
  • following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; members appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition to serve a five-year term) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms)

elections:
last held on 17 December 2012 (next to be held not later than 2017)
election results:
percent of vote by party - OBA 51.7%, PLP 46.1%, other 2.2%; seats by party - OBA 19, PLP 17

Judicial branch

highest court(s):
Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 4 justices); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, 4 puisne judges, and 1 associate justice); note - the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, in London, is the court of last resort
judge selection and term of office:
  • Court of Appeal justice appointed by the governor;
  • justice tenure by individual appointment;
  • Supreme Court judges nominated by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission and appointed by the governor;
  • judge tenure NA
subordinate courts:
commercial court (began in 2006); magistrates' courts

Political parties and leaders

Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Marc BEAN]; One Bermuda Alliance or OBA [Thad HOLLIS]

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers or ABIR [Bradley KADING];
  • Association of Bermuda International Companies or ABIC [George HUTCHINGS];
  • Bermuda Employer's Council [Keith JENSEN];
  • Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Chris Furbert];
  • Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Kevin GRANT and Ed BALL];
  • Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES]

International organization participation

Caricom (associate), ICC (NGOs), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC (NGOs), UPU, WCO

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Consul General Robert SETTJE (since August 2012)
consulate(s) general:
Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3
mailing address:
P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300
telephone:
[1] (441) 295-1342
FAX:
[1] (441) 295-1592, 296-9233

Flag description

  • red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (a white shield with a red lion standing on a green grassy field holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag;
  • it was the shipwreck of the vessel, filled with English colonists originally bound for Virginia, that led to settling of Bermuda

note: the flag is unusual in that it is only British overseas territory that uses a red ensign, all others use blue

National anthem

name:
"Hail to Bermuda"
lyrics/music:
Bette JOHNS

note: serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)

Economy

31 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$5.6billion
(2011 est.)country comparison to the world: 169$5.803 billion (2010 est.)official exchange rate: $5.6 billion (2011)
GDP per capita, PPP
$86,000
(2011 est.)country comparison to the world: 4
Real growth rate
-3.5%
(2011)country comparison to the world: 214industrial production growth: 1% (2013 est.)country comparison to the world: 149
Inflation, consumer prices
1.8%
(2013 est.)country comparison to the world: 562.4% (2012 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin(2013 est.)

agriculture 0.7%industry 5.7%services 93.5% (2013 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

South Korea
46.2%
14.8%
US
21%
17%
Australia
12.6%
Indonesia
Singapore
9.9%
China
7%
Turkmenistan
4.8%
Exports $13 million (2013 est.)Imports $925 million (2013 est.)(2012)

By end use% of GDP

Household consumption
29.4%Government consumption
15%Fixed capital
23.3%Inventories
0%Exports
64.8%Imports
-32.5%
(2013 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$973.2 millionExpenditures
$1.115 billion (FY11/12)

Economy - overview

Despite four years of recession and a public debt of $1.4 billion, Bermuda enjoys the fourth highest per capita income in the world, about 70% higher than that of the US. The average cost of a single-family home in 2012 was $1.1 million. Its economy is primarily based on international business and the provision of financial services to that sector, and to a lesser extent tourism.

A number of reinsurance companies relocated to the island following the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US and again after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle and has dropped in its relevant importance to the economy, although it is still important as a job creator.

Bermuda must import almost everything. Agriculture is limited due to the small size of the island and Bermuda's industrial sector is small.

Agriculture - products

bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey

Industries

international business, tourism, light manufacturing

Labor force

37,400 (2011) country comparison to the world: 200

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture and fishing:
3%
laborers:
17%
clerical:
19%
professional and technical:
21%
administrative and managerial:
15%
sales:
7%
services:
19% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate

8% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 87

Taxes and other revenues

17.4% of GDP (FY11/12 est.) country comparison to the world: 178

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-2.5% of GDP (FY11/12 est.) country comparison to the world: 101

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Market value of publicly traded shares

$1.487 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $1.436 billion (31 December 2011) · $1.535 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 95

Exports

$13 million (2013 est.) · $12 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 209

Exports - commodities

reexports of pharmaceuticals

Imports

$925 million (2013 est.) · $900 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 179

Imports - commodities

clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals

Debt - external

$1.4 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 151

Exchange rates

Bermudian dollars (BMD) per US dollar - 1 (2013 est.) · 1 (2012 est.)

Energy

23 fields

Installed generating capacity, 165,000 kW(2011 est.)

Fossil fuels 98.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)Other renewable sources 1.8% of total installed capacityNuclear fuels 0% · Hydroelectric plants 0%
Electricity production
675 million (2011 est.)Electricity consumption
638.4 million (2010 est.)Refined petroleum imports
2,747 (2012 est.)Refined petroleum consumption
2,747 (2012 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 82

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 158

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 106

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 121

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 101

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 120

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 63

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 158

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 112

Communications

7 fields
Mobile cellular
91,000
(2012)
Internet users
20,040
(2012)
Fixed lines
69,000
(2012) · country code .bm

Telephone system

general assessment:
a good, fully automatic digital telephone system with fiber-optic trunk lines
domestic:
the system has a high fixed-line teledensity coupled with a mobile-cellular teledensity of roughly 125 per 100 persons
international:
  • country code - 1-441;
  • landing points for the GlobeNet, Gemini Bermuda, CBUS, and the Challenger Bermuda-1 (CB-1) submarine cables;
  • satellite earth stations - 3 (2010)

Broadcast media

  • 3 TV stations;
  • cable and satellite TV subscription services are available;
  • roughly 13 radio stations operating (2012)

Internet users

54,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 173

Transportation

5 fields

Merchant marine, 139 ships by type

bulk carrier 22chemical tanker 3container 14liquefied gas 43passenger 27passenger/cargo 2petroleum tanker 19refrigerated cargo 9foreign-owned: 105 (France 1, Germany 14, Greece 8, Hong Kong 4, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Japan 2, Monaco 2, Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Sweden 14, UK 14, US 26) · registered in other countries: 241 (Bahamas 15, Cyprus 1, France 5, Greece 3, Hong Kong 20, Isle of Man 7, Liberia 4, Malta 15, Marshall Islands 35, Netherlands 1, Norway 24, Panama 27, Philippines 47, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 25, UK 6, US 5) (2010)

Airports

1 (2013) country comparison to the world: 212

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1; 2,438 to 3,047 m:; 1 (2013)

Roadways

total:
447 km

country comparison to the world: 197

paved:
447 km

note: 225 km public roads; 222 km private roads (2010)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Hamilton, Ireland Island, Saint George

Military

Bermuda Regiment (2012)

6 fields

Military branches

Bermuda Regiment (2012)

Military service age and obligation

  • 18-45 years of age for voluntary male or female enlistment in the Bermuda Regiment;
  • males must register at age 18 and may be subject to conscription;
  • term of service is 38 months for volunteers or conscripts (2012)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 15,081 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49:
12,323
females age 16-49:
12,174 (2010 est.)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

1 field

Cite this entry

Central Intelligence Agency. “Bermuda.” The World Factbook 2014. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bermuda/2014.