Monaco

Principality of MonacoPrincipaute de Monaco

constitutional monarchy

Monaco as the 2022 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 122 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.

CapitalMonaco, UTC+1
Position43 44 N, 7 24 E
Area2 sq km
LocationWestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy
Populationas each edition published it
31,400 people 2022 est. · 29,453 in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.6% 2022 est. · 0.93% in 1993
Median ageyears
55.4 years 2020 est. · 45 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
89.52 years 2022 est. · 77.5 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.53 children per woman 2022 est. · 1.2 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
1.76 deaths per 1,000 live births 2022 est. · 9 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$115,700 2015 est. · $16,000 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5.4% 2015 est. · 0.9% in 2005

Introduction

1 field

Background

The Genoese built a fortress on the site of present day Monaco in 1215. The current ruling GRIMALDI family first seized control in 1297 but was not able to permanently secure its holding until 1419. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center.

Geography

Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy

17 fields

Land useshare of 2 sq km

arable land 0% (2018 est.)permanent crops 1% (2018 est.)forest 0% (2018 est.)other 99% (2018 est.)agricultural land 1% (2018 est.) in all · permanent pasture 0% (2018 est.) in all · irrigated 0 sq km (2022)
Area
2sq km
land: 2 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmabout three times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC
Coastline
4.1km
territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 12 nm
Highest point
162m
Chemin des Revoires on Mont Agellowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Land boundaries
6km
border countries (1): France 6 km

Location

Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy

Geographic coordinates

43 44 N, 7 24 E

Climate

Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers

Terrain

hilly, rugged, rocky

Population distribution

the second most densely populated country in the world (after Macau); its entire population living on 2 square km

Geography - note

  • second-smallest independent state in the world (after the Holy See);
  • smallest country with a coastline;
  • almost entirely urban

People and Society

30 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2020 est.)

4,817
65 and over35.15%
6,057
2,370
55-6415.47%
2,417
4,779
25-5430.46%
4,644
1,538
15-249.52%
1,406
1,497
0-149.41%
1,415
MaleFemaleDependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 95.2 · youth dependency ratio: 25 · elderly dependency ratio: 70.2 · potential support ratio: 1.4 (2021)
Population
31,400
(2022 est.)note: immigrants make up almost 68% of the total population, according to UN data (2019)growth rate: 0.6% (2022 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2022 est.)

Birth
6.66Death
10.7Net migration
10.03

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2022 est.)89.52
85.7 · 93.49Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)1.76
2.07 · 1.45
TotalMale · femaleMedian age years (2020 est.)55.4
53.7 · 57Youth unemployment (2016 est.)26.6%
25.7% · 27.9%
MaleFemale

Ethnic groups(2016 est.)

Monegasque 32.1%French 19.9%Italian 15.3%British 5%Belgian 2.3%Swiss 2%German 1.9%Russian 1.8%American 1.1%Dutch 1.1%Moroccan 1%other 16.6% (2016 est.)note: data represent population by country of birth
Urban population
100%of total population
(2023)rate of urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)Major urban areas - population: 39,000 MONACO (capital) (2018)
Improved drinking water
100%of population
improved: urban: 100% of populationrural: NAunimproved: urban: 0% of populationrural: NAtotal: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Improved sanitation
100%of population
improved: urban: 100% of populationrural: NAunimproved: urban: 0% of populationrural: NAtotal: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Physicians density
7.51physicians/1,000 population
(2014)

Nationality

noun:
Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
adjective:
Monegasque or Monacan

Languages

French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque; major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Roman Catholic 90% (official), other 10%

Population distribution

the second most densely populated country in the world (after Macau); its entire population living on 2 square km

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years:
1.07 male(s)/female
25-54 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
55-64 years:
0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.76 male(s)/female
total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.53 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Current health expenditure

1.5% of GDP (2019)

Hospital bed density

13.8 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Education expenditures

1.2% of GDP (2019 est.)

Literacy

total population:
NA
male:
NA
female:
NA

Environment

9 fields

Land use(2018 est.)

arable land 0% (2018 est.)permanent crops 1% (2018 est.)forest 0% (2018 est.)other 99% (2018 est.)agricultural land 1% (2018 est.) in all · permanent pasture 0% (2018 est.) in all

Environment - current issues

no serious issues; actively monitors pollution levels in air and water

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions:
12.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
methane emissions:
0.05 megatons (2020 est.)

Climate

Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers

Urbanization

urban population:
100% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization:
0.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually:
46,000 tons (2012 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually:
2,484 tons (2012 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled:
5.4% (2012 est.)

Total water withdrawal

municipal:
5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
industrial:
0 cubic meters (2017 est.)
agricultural:
0 cubic meters (2017 est.)

Government

Constitutional monarchy; Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005); Minister of State Pierre DARTOUT (since 1 September 2020)

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

57.7%
Priorite Monaco 57.7%Horizon Monaco 26.1%Union Monegasque 16.2%last held on 11 February 2018 (next to be held on 28 February 2023)

National Council or Conseil National, 24 seats, elected 11 February 2018one dot, one seat

Priorite Monaco 21Horizon Monaco 2Union Monegasque 1

Percent of vote

Priorite Monaco 57.7%Horizon Monaco 26.1%Union Monegasque 16.2%

Composition: men 16, women 8, percent of women 33.3%

Country name

conventional long form:
Principality of Monaco
conventional short form:
Monaco
local long form:
Principaute de Monaco
local short form:
Monaco
etymology:
founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century B.C., the name derives from two Greek words "monos" (single, alone) and "oikos" (house) to convey the sense of a people "living apart" or in a "single habitation"

Government type

constitutional monarchy

Capital

name:
Monaco
geographic coordinates:
43 44 N, 7 25 E
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:
founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century B.C., the name derives from two Greek words monos (single, alone) and oikos (house) to convey the sense of a people "living apart" or in a "single habitation"

Administrative divisions

  • none;
  • there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier);
  • Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo;
  • note - Moneghetti, a part of La Condamine, is sometimes called the 5th quarter of Monaco

Independence

1419 (beginning of permanent rule by the House of GRIMALDI)

National holiday

National Day (Saint Rainier's Day), 19 November (1857)

Constitution

history:
previous 1911 (suspended 1959); latest adopted 17 December 1962
amendments:
  • proposed by joint agreement of the chief of state (the prince) and the National Council;
  • passage requires two-thirds majority vote of National Council members;
  • amended 2002

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:
the father must be a citizen of Monaco; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen and father unknown
dual citizenship recognized:
no
residency requirement for naturalization:
10 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005)
head of government:
Minister of State Pierre DARTOUT (since 1 September 2020)
cabinet:
Council of Government under the authority of the monarch
elections/appointments:
the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government

Legislative branch

description:
unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 8 directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
elections:
last held on 11 February 2018 (next to be held on 28 February 2023)
election results:
  • percent of vote by party - Priorite Monaco 57.7%, Horizon Monaco 26.1%, Union Monegasque 16.2%;
  • seats by party - Priorite Monaco 21, Horizon Monaco 2, Union Monegasque 1;
  • composition - men 16, women 8, percent of women 33.3%

Judicial branch

highest court(s):
Supreme Court (consists of 5 permanent members and 2 substitutes)
judge selection and term of office:
Supreme Court members appointed by the monarch upon the proposals of the National Council, State Council, Crown Council, Court of Appeal, and Trial Court
subordinate courts:
Court of Appeal; Civil Court of First Instance

Political parties and leaders

  • Horizon Monaco [Laurent NOUVION]
  • Priorite Monaco or Primo! [Stephane VALERI]
  • Union Monegasque [Jean-Francois ROBILLON]

International organization participation

CD, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Schengen Convention (de facto member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Maguy MACCARIO-DOYLE (since 3 December 2013)
chancery:
888 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
telephone:
[1] (202) 234-1530
FAX:
[1] (202) 244-7656
email address and website:
[email protected]; https://monacodc.org/index.html
consulate(s) general:
New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy:
  • US does not have an embassy in Monaco;
  • the US Ambassador to France is accredited to Monaco;
  • the US Consul General in Marseille (France), under the authority of the US Ambassador to France, handles diplomatic and consular matters concerning Monaco;
  • +(33)(1) 43-12-22-22, enter zero "0" after the automated greeting;
  • US Embassy Paris, 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris, France

Flag description

  • two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white;
  • the colors are those of the ruling House of Grimaldi and have been in use since 1339, making the flag one of the world's oldest national banners

note: similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red

National symbol(s)

red and white lozenges (diamond shapes); national colors: red, white

National anthem

name:
"A Marcia de Muneghu" (The March of Monaco)
lyrics/music:
Louis NOTARI/Charles ALBRECHT

note: music adopted 1867, lyrics adopted 1931; although French is commonly spoken, only the Monegasque lyrics are official; the French version is known as "Hymne Monegasque" (Monegasque Anthem); the words are generally only sung on official occasions

Economy

Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate.

28 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$7.672billion
(2015 est.) · $7.279 billion (2014 est.) · $6.79 billion (2013 est.)note: data are in 2015 US dollarsofficial exchange rate: $6.006 billion (2015 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$115,700
(2015 est.) · $109,200 (2014 est.) · $101,900 (2013 est.)
Real growth rate
5.4%
(2015 est.) · 7.2% (2014 est.) · 9.6% (2013 est.)industrial production growth: 6.8% (2015)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin(2013)

agriculture 0% (2013)industry 14% (2013)services 86% (2013)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

19%
Italy
34%
9%
Switzerland
16%
14%
Germany
9%
9%
United Kingdom
7%
8%
Spain
6%
United States
5%
Belgium
Exports $964.6 million (2017 est.)Imports $1.371 billion (2017 est.)(2019)

Budget(2011 est.)

Revenues
896.3 millionExpenditures
953.6 million

Economic overview

Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. The principality also is a banking center and has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries.

The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas.

The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. Monaco, however, is not a tax-free shelter; it charges nearly 20% value-added tax, collects stamp duties, and companies face a 33% tax on profits unless they can show that three-quarters of profits are generated within the principality.

Monaco was formally removed from the OECD's "grey list" of uncooperative tax jurisdictions in late 2009, but continues to face international pressure to abandon its banking secrecy laws and help combat tax evasion. In October 2014, Monaco officially became the 84th jurisdiction participating in the OECD’s Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, an effort to combat offshore tax avoidance and evasion.

Monaco's reliance on tourism and banking for its economic growth has left it vulnerable to downturns in France and other European economies which are the principality's main trade partners. In 2009, Monaco's GDP fell by 11.5% as the euro-zone crisis precipitated a sharp drop in tourism and retail activity and home sales.

A modest recovery ensued in 2010 and intensified in 2013, with GDP growth of more than 9%, but Monaco's economic prospects remain uncertain.

Industries

banking, insurance, tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products

Labor force

52,000 (2014 est.) note: includes all foreign workers

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
0%
industry:
16.1%
services:
83.9% (2012 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total:
26.6%
male:
25.7%
female:
27.9% (2016 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-1% (of GDP) (2011 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

14.9% (of GDP) (2011 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Exports

$964.6 million (2017 est.) · $1.115 billion (2011) note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France

Exports - commodities

jewelry, perfumes, watches, packaged medicines, plastic products (2019)

Imports

$1.371 billion (2017 est.) · $1.162 billion (2011 est.) note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France

Imports - commodities

jewelry, recreational boats, cars and vehicle parts, watches, general wares (2019)

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.885 (2017 est.) · 0.903 (2016 est.) · 0.9214 (2015 est.) · 0.885 (2014 est.) · 0.7634 (2013 est.)

Energy

1 field

Electrification% of population · (2020)

100%Total

Communications

7 fields

Per 100 inhabitants(2019–20 est.)

90Mobile cellular
97%Internet users, % of population
111Fixed lines
53Fixed broadband
Mobile cellular
35,485
(2020 est.)
Internet users
37,798
(2019 est.)
Fixed lines
43,706
(2020 est.)
Fixed broadband
20,877
(2020 est.) · country code .mc

Telecommunication systems

general assessment:
  • modern automatic telephone system: the country's sole fixed-line operator offers a full range of services to residential and business customers;
  • competitive mobile telephony market;
  • 4G LTE widely available (2020)
domestic:
fixed-line a little over 111 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 90 per 100 persons (2020)
international:
  • country code - 377;
  • landing points for the EIG and Italy-Monaco submarine cables connecting Monaco to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia;
  • no satellite earth stations;
  • connected by cable into the French communications system (2019)

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production;

progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services

Broadcast media

  • TV Monte-Carlo operates a TV network;
  • cable TV available;
  • Radio Monte-Carlo has extensive radio networks in France and Italy with French-language broadcasts to France beginning in the 1960s and Italian-language broadcasts to Italy beginning in the 1970s;
  • other radio stations include Riviera Radio and Radio Monaco

Transportation

4 fields

Heliports

1 (2021)

Railways

note: Monaco has a single railway station but does not operate its own train service; the French operator SNCF operates rail services in Monaco

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Hercules Port

Military and Security

3 fields

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Ministry of Interior: Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (Prince’s Company of Carabiniers), Corps des Sapeurs-pompiers de Monaco (Fire and Emergency), Police Department (2022) note: the primary responsibility for the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince is guarding the palace

Military service age and obligation

the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince is staffed by French nationals (2022)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

1 field

Cite this entry

Central Intelligence Agency. “Monaco.” The World Factbook 2022. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/monaco/2022.