Bermuda

parliamentary democracy (Parliament)Independence none (overseas territory of the UK)

Bermuda as the 2018 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 141 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
71,176 people July 2018 est. · 58,337 in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.43% 2018 est. · 0.78% in 1993
Median ageyears
43.5 years 2018 est. · 38.7 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
81.5 years 2018 est. · 75.03 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.92 children per woman 2018 est. · 1.7 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
2.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 2018 est. · 12 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$99,400 2016 est. · $22,000 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-0.1% 2016 est. · -1.5% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists heading 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)

18 fields

Land useshare of 54 sq km

arable land 14.8% (2011 est.)permanent pasture 0% (2011 est.)forest 20% (2011 est.)other 65.2% (2011 est.)agricultural land 14.8% (2011 est.) in all · permanent crops 0% (2011 est.) in all
Area
54sq km
land: 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

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

Elevation

0 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean; 79 highest point: Town Hill

Natural resources

limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism

Population distribution

relatively even population distribution throughout

Natural hazards

hurricanes (June to November)

Environment - current issues

  • dense population and heavy vehicle traffic create serious congestion and air pollution problems;
  • water resources scarce (most obtained as rainwater or from wells);
  • solid waste disposal;
  • hazardous waste disposal;
  • sewage disposal;
  • overfishing;
  • oil spills

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
Population
71,176
(July 2018 est.)growth rate: 0.43% (2018 est.)

Per 1,000 population

Birth
11.3 (2018 est.)Death
8.7 (2018 est.)Net migration
1.8 (2017 est.)

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2018 est.)81.5
78.3 · 84.7Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)2.5
2.6 · 2.4Median age years (2018 est.)43.5
41.5 · 45.4
TotalMale · femaleSchool life expectancy years (2015)12
11 · 12Youth unemployment ages 15-24 (2014 est.)29.3%
29.7% · 29%
MaleFemale

Ethnic groups(2010 est.)

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

Religions(2010 est.)

Protestant 46.2% (includes 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%, Brethren 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
(2018)rate of urbanization: -0.44% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)Major urban areas - population: 10,000 HAMILTON (capital) (2018)

Nationality

noun:
Bermudian(s)
adjective:
Bermudian

Languages

English (official), Portuguese

Age structure

0-14 years:
16.92% (male 6,088 /female 5,957)
15-24 years:
11.95% (male 4,306 /female 4,197)
25-54 years:
36.56% (male 13,049 /female 12,972)
55-64 years:
16.04% (male 5,383 /female 6,034)
65 years and over:
18.53% (male 5,596 /female 7,594) (2018 est.)

Population distribution

relatively even population distribution throughout

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years:
1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years:
1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years:
1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years:
0.89 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over:
0.73 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.92 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Education expenditures

1.5% of GDP (2017)

Government

Parliamentary democracy (Parliament); Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Premier David BURT (since 19 July 2017)

22 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

58.9%
PLP 58.9%OBA 40.6%other 0.5%House of Assembly - last held on 18 July 2017 (next to be held not later than 2022)

Legislature, 36 seatsone dot, one seat

PLP 24OBA 12

Percent of vote

PLP 58.9%OBA 40.6%other 0.5%

Country name

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Bermuda
former:
Somers Islands
etymology:
the islands making up Bermuda are named after Juan de BERMUDEZ, an early 16th century Spanish sea captain and the first European explorer of the archipelago

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Government type

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

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; note - formerly known as Victoria Day, Empire Day, and Commonwealth Day

Constitution

history:
several previous (dating to 1684); latest entered into force 8 June 1968 (Bermuda Constitution Order 1968) (2018)
amendments:
  • proposal procedure - NA;
  • passage by an Order in Council in the UK;
  • amended several times, last in 2012 (2018)

International law organization participation

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

Citizenship

citizenship by birth:
no
citizenship by descent only:
at least one parent must be a citizen of the UK
dual citizenship recognized:
yes
residency requirement for naturalization:
10 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Judicial branch

highest courts:
  • Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and at least 2 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 final appeal
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 based on terms of appointment
subordinate courts:
commercial court (began in 2006); magistrates' courts

Executive branch

chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor John RANKIN (since 5 December 2016)
head of government:
Premier David BURT (since 19 July 2017)
cabinet:
Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor
elections/appointments:
  • the monarchy is hereditary;
  • governor appointed by the monarch;
  • following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch

description:
bicameral Parliament consists of:; Senate (11 seats; 3 members appointed by the governor, 5 by the premier, and 3 by the opposition party; members serve 5-year terms) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve up to 5-year terms); House of Assembly (36 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve up to 5-year terms)
elections:
House of Assembly - last held on 18 July 2017 (next to be held not later than 2022)
election results:
percent of vote by party - PLP 58.9%, OBA 40.6%, other 0.5%; seats by party - PLP 24, OBA 12

Political parties and leaders

One Bermuda Alliance or OBA (vacant); Progressive Labor Party or PLP [E. David BURT]

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 Mary Ellen KOENIG (since 28 November 2015)
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
consulate(s) general:
Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3

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 the 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

36 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$6.127billion
(2016 est.) · $6.133 billion (2015 est.) · $6.097 billion (2014 est.)official exchange rate: $6.127 billion (2016 est.) (2016 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$99,400
(2016 est.) · $95,500 (2015 est.) · $87,500 (2014 est.)
Real growth rate
-0.1%
(2016 est.) · 0.6% (2015 est.) · -0.3% (2014 est.)industrial production growth: 2% (2017 est.)
Inflation, consumer prices
1.9%
(2017 est.) · 1.4% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin(2017 est.)

agriculture 0.9% (2017 est.)industry 5.3% (2017 est.)services 93.8% (2017 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

4.9%
US
72.1%
49.1%
Jamaica
36.1%
Luxembourg
South Korea
9.7%
Canada
4.2%
Exports $19 million (2017 est.)Imports $1.094 billion (2017 est.)(2017)

By end use% of GDP · (2017 est.)

Household consumption
51.3%Government consumption
15.7%Fixed capital
13.7%Inventories
0%Exports
49.8%Imports
-30.4%

Budget(2017 est.)

Revenues
999.2 millionExpenditures
1.176 billion

Economy - overview

International business, which consists primarily of insurance and other financial services, is the real bedrock of Bermuda's economy, consistently accounting for about 85% of the island's GDP. Tourism is the country’s second largest industry, accounting for about 5% of Bermuda's GDP but a much larger share of employment.

Over 80% of visitors come from the US and the sector struggled in the wake of the global recession of 2008-09. Even the financial sector has lost roughly 5,000 high-paying expatriate jobs since 2008, weighing heavily on household consumption and retail sales. Bermuda must import almost everything.

Agriculture and industry are limited due to the small size of the island. Bermuda's economy returned to negative growth in 2016, reporting a contraction of 0.1% GDP, after growing by 0.6% in 2015. Unemployment reached 7% in 2016 and 2017, public debt is growing and exceeds $2.4 billion, and the government continues to work on attracting foreign investment. Still, Bermuda enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.

Agriculture - products

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

Industries

international business, tourism, light manufacturing

Labor force

33,480 (2016 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
2%
industry:
13%
services:
85% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate

7% (2017 est.) · 7% (2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

16.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-2.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt

43% of GDP (FY14/15)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Stock of narrow money

$3.374 billion (30 September 2014 est.) · $3.422 billion (31 December 2013 est.) note: figures do not include US dollars, which also circulate freely

Stock of broad money

$22.1 billion (30 September 2014 est.) · $25.1 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$1.85 billion (31 December 2015 est.) · $1.601 billion (31 December 2014 est.) · $1.467 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

$818.6 million (2017 est.) · $763 million (2016 est.)

Exports

$19 million (2017 est.) · $19 million (2016 est.)

Exports - commodities

reexports of pharmaceuticals

Imports

$1.094 billion (2017 est.) · $980 million (2016 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Debt - external

$2.515 billion (2017 est.) · $2.435 billion (2015 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$2.641 billion (2014 est.) · $2.664 billion (2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$889 million (2014 est.) · $835 million (2013 est.)

Exchange rates

Bermudian dollars (BMD) per US dollar - 1 (2017 est.) · 1 (2016 est.) · 1 (2015 est.) · 1 (2014 est.) · 1 (2013 est.)

Energy

24 fields

Electrification% of population · (2016)

100%Total

Installed generating capacity, 171,000 kW(2016 est.)

Fossil fuels 100% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)Nuclear fuels 0% · Hydroelectric plants 0% · Other renewable sources 0%
Electricity production
650 million (2016 est.)Electricity consumption
604.5 million (2016 est.)Refined petroleum imports
3,939 (2015 est.)Refined petroleum consumption
5,000 (2016 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Communications

6 fields

Per 100 inhabitants(2016–17 est.)

92Mobile cellular
98%Internet users, % of population
31Fixed lines
Mobile cellular
64,997
(2017 est.)
Internet users
69,126
(July 2016 est.)
Fixed lines
21,883
(2017 est.) · country code .bm

Telephone system

general assessment:
  • a good, fully automatic digital telephone system with fiber-optic trunk lines;
  • telecom sector provides a relatively high contribution to overall GDP;
  • numerous competitors licensed, but small and localized (2017)
domestic:
the system has a high fixed-line teledensity 31 per 100, coupled with a mobile-cellular teledensity of roughly 92 per 100 persons (2017)
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 (2015)

Broadcast media

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

Transportation

6 fields

Merchant marine, 160 ships by type(2017)

bulk carrier 10container ship 8general cargo 1oil tanker 18other 123

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

2,438 to 3,047 m
1

Airports

1 (2013)

Roadways

total:
447 km (2010)
paved:
447 km (2010)

note: 225 km public roads; 222 km private roads

Ports and terminals

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

Military and Security

Bermuda Regiment (2012)

3 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)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

1 field

Cite this entry

Central Intelligence Agency. “Bermuda.” The World Factbook 2018. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bermuda/2018.