Grenada

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchyIndependence 7 February 1974 (from the UK)

Grenada as the 2019 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 153 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.

CapitalSaint George's, UTC-4
Position12 07 N, 61 40 W
Area344 sq km
LocationCaribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Populationas each edition published it
112,207 people July 2018 est. · 84,135 in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.42% 2018 est. · 0.24% in 1993
Median ageyears
32.1 years 2018 est. · 20.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
74.8 years 2018 est. · 70.15 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2 children per woman 2018 est. · 4.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
9.4 deaths per 1,000 live births 2018 est. · 30 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$15,100 2017 est. · $3,000 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5.1% 2017 est. · -0.4% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when Christopher COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export.

In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full independence was attained in 1974 making Grenada one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. In 1979, a leftist New Jewel Movement seized power under Maurice BISHOP ushering in the Grenada Revolution. On 19 October 1983, factions within the revolutionary government overthrew and killed BISHOP and members of his party. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. The rule of law was restored and democratic elections were reinstituted the following year and have continued since then.

Geography

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

19 fields

Land useshare of 344 sq km

arable land 8.8% (2011 est.)permanent crops 20.6% (2011 est.)permanent pasture 2.9% (2011 est.)forest 50% (2011 est.)other 17.7% (2011 est.)agricultural land 32.3% (2011 est.) in all · irrigated 20 sq km (2012)
Area
344sq km
land: 344 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmtwice the size of Washington, DC
Coastline
121km
land boundaries: 0 kmterritorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Highest point
840m
Mount Saint Catherinelowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates

12 07 N, 61 40 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Climate

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Terrain

volcanic in origin with central mountains

Natural resources

timber, tropical fruit

Population distribution

approximately one-third of the population is found in the capital of St. George's; the island's population is concentrated along the coast

Natural hazards

  • lies on edge of hurricane belt;
  • hurricane season lasts from June to November volcanism: Mount Saint Catherine (840 m) lies on the island of Grenada;
  • Kick 'em Jenny, an active submarine volcano (seamount) on the Caribbean Sea floor, lies about 8 km north of the island of Grenada;
  • these two volcanoes are at the southern end of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends up to the Netherlands dependency of Saba in the north

Environment - current issues

  • deforestation causing habitat destruction and species loss;
  • coastal erosion and contamination;
  • pollution and sedimentation;
  • inadequate solid waste management

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada

People and Society

33 fields
Population
112,207
(July 2018 est.)growth rate: 0.42% (2018 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2018 est.)

Birth
15.2Death
8.2Net migration
-2.8

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy74.8
72.1 · 77.6Infant mortality9.4
9 · 9.9Literacy (2014 est.)98.6%
98.6% · 98.6%
TotalMale · femaleMedian age32.1
32 · 32.2School life expectancy years (2017)17
16 · 17
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups(2011 est.)

African descent 82.4%mixed 13.3%East Indian 2.2%other 1.3%unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)

Religions(2011 est.)

Protestant 49.2% (includes Pentecostal 17.2%, Seventh Day Adventist 13.2%, Anglican 8.5%, Baptist 3.2%, Church of God 2.4%, Evangelical 1.9%, Methodist 1.6%, other 1.2%)Roman Catholic 36%Jehovah's Witness 1.2%Rastafarian 1.2%other 5.5%none 5.7%unspecified 1.3% (2011 est.)
Urban population
36.4%of total population
(2019)rate of urbanization: 0.76% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)Major urban areas - population: 39,000 SAINT GEORGE'S (capital) (2018)
Improved drinking water
96.6%of population
improved: urban: 99% of populationrural: 95.3% of populationunimproved: urban: 1% of populationrural: 4.7% of populationtotal: 3.4% of population (2015 est.)
Improved sanitation
98%of population
(2015 est.)improved: urban: 97.5% of population (2015 est.)rural: 98.3% of population (2015 est.)unimproved: urban: 2.5% of population (2015 est.)rural: 1.7% of population (2015 est.)total: 2% of population (2015 est.)
Maternal mortality rate
25deaths/100,000 live births
(2017 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Grenadian(s)
adjective:
Grenadian

Languages

English (official), French patois

Age structure

0-14 years:
23.84% (male 13,901 /female 12,851)
15-24 years:
14.61% (male 8,196 /female 8,201)
25-54 years:
40.27% (male 23,121 /female 22,067)
55-64 years:
10.97% (male 6,284 /female 6,023)
65 years and over:
10.31% (male 5,377 /female 6,186) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio:
50.7 (2015 est.)
youth dependency ratio:
39.9 (2015 est.)
elderly dependency ratio:
10.8 (2015 est.)
potential support ratio:
9.3 (2015 est.)

Median age

total:
32.1 years (2018 est.)
male:
32 years
female:
32.2 years

Population distribution

approximately one-third of the population is found in the capital of St. George's; the island's population is concentrated along the coast

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.1 male(s)/female
0-14 years:
1.08 male(s)/female
15-24 years:
1 male(s)/female
25-54 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
55-64 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.87 male(s)/female
total population:
1.03 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total:
9.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
male:
9 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
9.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
74.8 years (2018 est.)
male:
72.1 years
female:
77.6 years

Total fertility rate

2 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Physicians density

1.45 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density

3.7 beds/1,000 population (2014)

Major infectious diseases

note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito;

other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Education expenditures

3.2% of GDP (2017)

Government

Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 20 February 2013)

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

58.9%
NNP 58.9%NDC 40.5%other seats by party - NNP 15 0.6%

House of Representativespercent of vote

NNP 58.9%NDC 40.5%other seats by party - NNP 15 0.6%

Composition: men 8, women 7, percent of women 46.7%

Country name

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Grenada
etymology:
  • derivation of the name remains obscure;
  • some sources attribute the designation to Spanish influence (most likely named for the Spanish city of Granada), with subsequent French and English interpretations resulting in the present-day Grenada;
  • in Spanish "granada" means "pomegranate"

Government type

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital

name:
Saint George's
geographic coordinates:
12 03 N, 61 45 W
time difference:
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology:
  • the 1763 Treaty of Paris transferred possession of Grenada from France to Great Britain;
  • the new administration renamed Ville de Fort Royal (Fort Royal Town) to Saint George's Town, after the patron saint of England;
  • eventually the name became simply Saint George's

Administrative divisions

6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick

Independence

7 February 1974 (from the UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 February (1974)

Constitution

history:
previous 1967; latest presented 19 December 1973, effective 7 February 1974, suspended 1979 following a revolution but restored in 1983
amendments:
  • proposed by either house of Parliament;
  • passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the membership in both houses and assent of the governor general;
  • passage of amendments to constitutional sections, such as personal rights and freedoms, the structure, authorities, and procedures of the branches of government, the delimitation of electoral constituencies, or the procedure for amending the constitution, also requires two-thirds majority approval in a referendum;
  • amended 1991, 1992 (2018)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

citizenship by birth:
yes
citizenship by descent only:
yes
dual citizenship recognized:
yes
residency requirement for naturalization:
7 years for persons from a non-Caribbean state and 4 years for a person from a Caribbean state

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Cecile LA GRENADE (since 7 May 2013)
head of government:
Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 20 February 2013)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections/appointments:
  • the monarchy is hereditary;
  • governor general appointed by the monarch;
  • following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch

description:
bicameral Parliament consists of:; Senate (13 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 10 on the advice of the prime minister and 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition party; members serve 5-year terms); House of Representatives (15 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
elections:
Senate - last appointments on 27 April 2018 (next no later than2023); House of Representatives - last held on 13 March 2018 (next no later than 2023)
election results:
  • Senate - percent by party - NA;
  • seats by party - NA;
  • composition - men 11, women 2 percent of women 15.4%
;
  • House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NNP 58.9%, NDC 40.5%;
  • other 0.6% seats by party - NNP 15;
  • composition - men 8, women 7, percent of women 46.7%;
  • note - total Parliament percent of women 32.1%

Judicial branch

highest courts:
  • regionally, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States;
  • the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges;
  • the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts;
  • High Court judges reside in the member states, with 2 in Grenada;
  • appeals beyond the ECSC in civil and criminal matters are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
judge selection and term of office:
  • chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II;
  • other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, and independent body of judicial officials;
  • Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65;
  • High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62
subordinate courts:
magistrates' courts; Court of Magisterial Appeals

Political parties and leaders

National Democratic Congress or NDC [Nazim BURKE]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]

International organization participation

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

Ambassador Ethelstan Angus FRIDAY (since 3 September 2013)

chancery:
1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 265-2561
FAX:
[1] (202) 265-2468
consulate(s) general:
Miami

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
the US does not have an official embassy in Grenada; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada
telephone:
[1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176
embassy:
Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's, Grenada
mailing address:
P. O. Box 54, Saint George's
FAX:
[1] (473) 444-4820

Flag description

  • a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles (top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with a red border around the flag;
  • there are seven yellow, five-pointed stars with three centered in the top red border, three centered in the bottom red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the center of the flag;
  • there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada is a leading nutmeg producer);
  • the seven stars stand for the seven administrative divisions, with the central star denoting the capital, St. George;
  • yellow represents the sun and the warmth of the people, green stands for vegetation and agriculture, and red symbolizes harmony, unity, and courage

National symbol(s)

Grenada dove, bougainvillea flower; national colors: red, yellow, green

National anthem

name:
Hail Grenada
lyrics/music:
Irva Merle BAPTISTE/Louis Arnold MASANTO

note: adopted 1974

Economy

Grenada relies on tourism and revenue generated by St.

38 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$1.634billion
(2017 est.) · $1.555 billion (2016 est.) · $1.5 billion (2015 est.)note: data are in 2017 dollarsofficial exchange rate: $1.119 billion (2017 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$15,100
(2017 est.) · $14,500 (2016 est.) · $14,000 (2015 est.)note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real growth rate
5.1%
(2017 est.) · 3.7% (2016 est.) · 6.4% (2015 est.)industrial production growth: 10% (2017 est.)
Inflation, consumer prices
0.9%
(2017 est.) · 1.7% (2016 est.)

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

agriculture 6.8% (2017 est.)industry 15.5% (2017 est.)services 77.7% (2017 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

25.3%
US
31.7%
Trinidad and Tobago
24.9%
10.1%
Japan
8.7%
Guyana
China
6.7%
6.6%
Dominica
6.4%
St. Lucia
4.7%
Netherlands
4.1%
Barbados
4%
St. Kitts and Nevis
Exports $39.9 million (2017 est.)Imports $316 million (2017 est.)(2017)

By end use% of GDP · (2017 est.)

Household consumption
63%Government consumption
12%Fixed capital
20%Inventories
-0.1%Exports
60%Imports
-55%

Budget(2017 est.)

Revenues
288.4 millionExpenditures
252.3 million

Economy - overview

Grenada relies on tourism and revenue generated by St. George’s University - a private university offering degrees in medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, the health sciences, nursing, arts and sciences, and business - as its main source of foreign exchange. In the past two years the country expanded its sources of revenue, including from selling passports under its citizenship by investment program.

These projects produced a resurgence in the construction and manufacturing sectors of the economy. In 2017, Grenada experienced its fifth consecutive year of growth and the government successfully marked the completion of its five-year structural adjustment program that included among other things austerity measures, increased tax revenue and debt restructuring. Public debt-to-GDP was reduced from 100% of GDP in 2013 to 71.8% in 2017.

Gross national saving

11.7% of GDP (2017 est.) · 17% of GDP (2016 est.) · 13.9% of GDP (2015 est.)

Agriculture - products

bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, soursop, citrus, avocados, root crops, corn, vegetables, fish

Industries

food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction, education, call-center operations

Labor force

55,270 (2017 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
11%
industry:
20%
services:
69% (2008 est.)

Unemployment rate

24% (2017 est.) · 28.2% (2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

25.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

3.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt

70.4% of GDP (2017 est.) · 82% of GDP (2016 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Central bank discount rate

6.5% (31 December 2009) · 6.5% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

8.31% (31 December 2017 est.) · 8.64% (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$223.3 million (31 December 2017 est.) · $214 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock of broad money

$223.3 million (31 December 2017 est.) · $214 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$550 million (31 December 2017 est.) · $566.3 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Current account balance

-$77 million (2017 est.) · -$34 million (2016 est.)

Exports

$39.9 million (2017 est.) · $44.2 million (2016 est.)

Exports - commodities

nutmeg, bananas, cocoa, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace, chocolate, fish

Imports

$316 million (2017 est.) · $314.7 million (2016 est.)

Imports - commodities

food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$199.1 million (31 December 2017 est.) · $198 million (31 December 2015 est.)

Debt - external

$793.5 million (2017 est.) · $682.3 million (2016 est.)

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2017 est.) · 2.7 (2016 est.) · 2.7 (2015 est.) · 2.7 (2014 est.) · 2.7 (2013 est.)

Energy

24 fields

Electrification% of population · (2016)

92.3%Urban
92.3%Rural
92.3%Total

Installed generating capacity, 51,100 kW(2016 est.)

Fossil fuels 96% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)Other renewable sources 4% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)Nuclear fuels 0% · Hydroelectric plants 0%
Electricity production
202.1 million (2016 est.)Electricity consumption
185.1 million (2016 est.)Refined petroleum imports
1,886 (2015 est.)Refined petroleum consumption
2,000 (2016 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2018 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

7 fields

Per 100 inhabitants(2016–17 est.)

101Mobile cellular
55.9%Internet users, % of population
29Fixed lines
20Fixed broadband
Mobile cellular
113,177
(2017 est.)
Internet users
62,123
(July 2016 est.)
Fixed lines
32,491
(2017 est.)
Fixed broadband
22,235
(2017 est.) · country code .gd

Telephone system

general assessment:
adequate, automatic, island-wide telephone system; lack of local competition but telecoms are a high contributor to overall GDP (2018)
domestic:
interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links; 29 per 100 for fixed-line and 101 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2018)
international:
  • country code - 1-473;
  • landing points for the ECFS, Southern Caribbean Fiber and CARCIP submarine cables with links to 13 Caribbean islands extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad & Tobago including Puerto Rico and Barbados;
  • SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent;
  • VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad (2019)

Broadcast media

  • multiple publicly and privately owned television and radio stations;
  • Grenada Information Service (GIS) is government-owned and provides television and radio services;
  • the Grenada Broadcasting Network, jointly owned by the government and the Caribbean Communications Network of Trinidad and Tobago, operates a TV station and 2 radio stations;
  • Meaningful Television (MTV) broadcasts island-wide and is part of a locally-owned media house, Moving Target Company, that also includes an FM radio station and a weekly newspaper;
  • multi-channel cable TV subscription service is provided by Columbus Communications Grenada (FLOW GRENADA) and is available island wide;
  • approximately 25 private radio stations also broadcast throughout the country (2019)

Military and Security

No regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force (includes Coast Guard) (2019)

1 field

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force (includes Coast Guard) (2019)

Transportation

7 fields

Merchant marine, 6 ships by typeone square, one ship · (2018)

general cargo 3other 3

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

2,438 to 3,047 m
11,524 to 2,437 m
1under 914 m
1

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers:
0 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 0 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:
0 (2015)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:
0 mt-km (2015)

Airports

3 (2013)

Roadways

total:
1,127 km (2017)
paved:
902 km (2017)
unpaved:
225 km (2017)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Saint George's

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Illicit drugs

small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US

Cite this entry

Central Intelligence Agency. “Grenada.” The World Factbook 2019. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/grenada/2019.