Gibraltar
parliamentary democracy (Parliament)Independence none (overseas territory of the UK)
Gibraltar as the 2023 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Strategically important, Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. The subsequent granting of autonomy in 1969 by the UK led Spain to close the border and sever all communication links. Between 1997 and 2002, the UK and Spain held a series of talks on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar.
In response to these talks, the Gibraltar Government called a referendum in late 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since late 2004, Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar have held tripartite talks with the aim of cooperatively resolving problems that affect the local population, and work continues on cooperation agreements in areas such as taxation and financial services; communications and maritime security; policy; legal and customs services; environmental protection; and education and visa services.
A new noncolonial constitution came into force in 2007, and the European Court of First Instance recognized Gibraltar's right to regulate its own tax regime in December 2008. The UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign relations, internal security, and financial stability.
Spain and the UK continue to spar over the territory. Throughout 2009, a dispute over Gibraltar's claim to territorial waters extending out three miles gave rise to periodic non-violent maritime confrontations between Spanish and UK naval patrols, and in 2013, the British reported a record number of entries by Spanish vessels into waters claimed by Gibraltar following a dispute over Gibraltar's creation of an artificial reef in those waters.
Spain renewed its demands for an eventual return of Gibraltar to Spanish control after the UK’s June 2016 vote to leave the EU, but London has dismissed any connection between the vote and its continued sovereignty over Gibraltar.
Geography
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain
16 fieldsLand useshare of 7 sq km
Location
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain
Natural hazards
occasional droughts; no streams or large bodies of water on the peninsula (all potable water comes from desalination)
Geography - note
note 1: strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea note 2: one of only two British territories where traffic drives on the right, the other being the island of Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory
People and Society
28 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2023 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2023 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2012 est.)
Religions(2012 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.96 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.01 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- total:
- 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
- male:
- 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births
- female:
- 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Environment
6 fieldsLand use(2011 est.)
Environment - current issues
limited natural freshwater resources: more than 90% of drinking water supplied by desalination, the remainder from stored rainwater; a separate supply of saltwater used for sanitary services
Urbanization
- urban population:
- 100% of total population (2023)
- rate of urbanization:
- 0.45% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Government
Parliamentary democracy (Parliament); King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); Chief Minister Fabian PICARDO (since 9 December 2011)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Parliament, 17 seats, elected 17 October 2019one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Gibraltar
- etymology:
- from the Spanish derivation of the Arabic "Jabal Tariq," which means "Mountain of Tariq" and which refers to the Rock of Gibraltar
Capital
- name:
- Gibraltar
- geographic coordinates:
- 36 08 N, 5 21 W
- time difference:
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- daylight saving time:
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
- etymology:
- from the Spanish derivation of the Arabic "Jabal Tariq," which means "Mountain of Tariq" and which refers to the Rock of Gibraltar
National holiday
National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or join Spain
Constitution
- history:
- previous 1969; latest passed by referendum 30 November 2006, entered into effect 14 December 2006, entered into force 2 January 2007
- amendments:
- proposed by Parliament and requires prior consent of the British monarch (through the Secretary of State);
- passage requires at least three-fourths majority vote in Parliament followed by simple majority vote in a referendum;
- note – only sections 1 through 15 in Chapter 1 (Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms) can be amended by Parliament
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Sir David STEEL (since 11 June 2020)
- head of government:
- Chief Minister Fabian PICARDO (since 9 December 2011)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed from among the 17 elected members of Parliament by the governor in consultation with the chief minister
- 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 chief minister by the governor
Legislative branch
- description:
- unicameral Parliament (18 seats; 17 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by majority vote and 1 appointed by Parliament as speaker; members serve 4-year terms)
- elections:
- last held on 17 October 2019 (next to be held by February 2024)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - GSLP-Liberal Alliance 58.8% (GSLP 41.2%, LPG 17.6%), GSD 35.3%, TG 5.8%, independent 1.4%;
- seats by party - GSLP-Liberal Alliance 10 (GSLP 7, LPG 3), GSD 6, TG 1;
- composition including Parliament speaker - men 16, women 2, percent of women 11.1%
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- Court of Appeal (consists of at least 3 judges, including the court president);
- Supreme Court of Gibraltar (consists of the chief justice and 3 judges);
- note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
- judge selection and term of office:
- Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judges appointed by the governor upon the advice of the Judicial Service Commission, a 7-member body of judges and appointees of the governor;
- tenure of the Court of Appeal president based on terms of appointment;
- Supreme Court chief justice and judges normally appointed until retirement at age 67 but tenure can be extended 3 years
- subordinate courts:
- Court of First Instance;
- Magistrates' Court;
- specialized tribunals for issues relating to social security, taxes, and employment
Political parties and leaders
- Gibraltar Liberal Party or Liberal Party of Gibraltar or LPG [Joseph GARCIA]
- Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Keith AZOPARDI]
- Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Fabian PICARDO]
- Together Gibraltar or TG [Marlene HASSAN-NAHON]
Flag description
- two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band;
- hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band;
- the design is that of Gibraltar's coat of arms granted on 10 July 1502 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain;
- the castle symbolizes Gibraltar as a fortress, while the key represents Gibraltar's strategic importance - the key to the Mediterranean
National anthem
- name:
- "Gibraltar Anthem"
- lyrics/music:
- Peter EMBERLEY
note: adopted 1994; serves as a local anthem; as an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)
Economy
27 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2016 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Budget(2008 est.)
Economic overview
- British territorial high-income economy;
- Brexit caused significant economic disruption to longstanding financial services, shipping, and tourism industries;
- ongoing negotiations to rejoin EU Schengen Area;
- independent taxation authority
Exports - commodities
cars and vehicle parts, ships, refined petroleum, recreational boats, designer watches (2021)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, recreational boats, cars, coal tar oil, crude petroleum (2019)
Exchange rates
Gibraltar pounds (GIP) per US dollar - 0.727 (2021 est.) · 0.78 (2020 est.) · 0.783 (2019 est.) · 0.75 (2018 est.) · 0.777 (2017 est.)
Energy
11 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2021)
Installed generating capacity, 43,000 kW(2020 est.)
Coal
- production:
- 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
- consumption:
- 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
- exports:
- 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
- imports:
- 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
- proven reserves:
- 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
- total petroleum production:
- 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
- refined petroleum consumption:
- 83,700 bbl/day (2019 est.)
- crude oil and lease condensate exports:
- 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
- crude oil and lease condensate imports:
- 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
- crude oil estimated reserves:
- 0 barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas
- production:
- 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
- consumption:
- 74.756 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
- exports:
- 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
- imports:
- 56.719 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
- proven reserves:
- 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
14.256 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
- from coal and metallurgical coke:
- 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
- from petroleum and other liquids:
- 14.146 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
- from consumed natural gas:
- 111,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Communications
7 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2020–21 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- general assessment:
- Gibraltar’s population is urban-based, served by a digital telephone exchange supported by a fiber optic and copper infrastructure;
- near universal mobile and Internet use (2019)
- domestic:
- 53 per 100 fixed-line and 100 per 100 mobile-cellular (2021)
- international:
- country code - 350;
- landing point for the EIG to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East via submarine cables;
- radiotelephone;
- microwave radio relay;
- satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)
Broadcast media
- Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) provides TV and radio broadcasting services via 1 TV station and 4 radio stations;
- British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) operates 1 radio station;
- broadcasts from Spanish radio and TV stations are accessible
Transportation
6 fieldsMerchant marine, 155 ships by type(2022)
Airports - with paved runways
1
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature;
paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
Military and Security
Royal Gibraltar Regiment (2023)
3 fieldsPersonnel strengthsone square, 100 people · (2023)
Transnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
- the status of Gibraltar and how to police the border with Spain has been a point of contention since the UK's 2016 vote to leave the EU;
- the peninsula was excluded from the exit deal reached between Britain and the EU;
- informal arrangements are in place while the two sides negotiate over Gibraltar, which overwhelmingly backed remaining in the EU in the Brexit referendum
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Gibraltar.” The World Factbook 2023. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/gibraltar/2023.