Trinidad and Tobago

noun:

Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)

adjective:

Trinidadian, Tobagonian

note: Trinbagonian is used on occasion to describe a citizen of the country without specifying the island of origin

total:

39.1 years (2025 est.)

male:

38 years

female:

39 years

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.87 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

14.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

17.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

13 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

76.5 years (2024 est.)

male:

74.6 years

female:

78.4 years

total:

5.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

2.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

2.65 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

women married by age 15:

0.7% (2022)

women married by age 18:

4.2% (2022)

• water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage;
• widespread pollution of waterways and coastal areas;
• illegal dumping;
• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• fisheries and wildlife depletion

urban population:

53.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

energy:

160.3 kt (2022-2024 est.)

agriculture:

4.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste:

59.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)

other:

6 kt (2019-2021 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

727,900 tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

16.2% (2022 est.)

municipal:

237.6 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

128.9 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

16.7 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

conventional short form:

Trinidad and Tobago

etymology:

• explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the larger island "La Isla de la Trinidad" (The Island of the Trinity) in 1498, possibly because of the three mountain peaks on the island;
• COLUMBUS may have gotten the name Tobago, spelled "tobaco" in Spanish, from the tobacco grown and smoked locally, or from its elongated cigar shape

name:

Port of Spain

geographic coordinates:

10 39 N, 61 31 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

translation of the name the Spanish gave the town in 1595, Puerto de España; the name was anglicized after the British captured Trinidad in 1797

history:

previous 1962; latest 1976

amendment process:

• proposed by Parliament;
• passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, such as human rights and freedoms or citizenship, requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses and assent of the president;
• passage of amendments, such as the powers and authorities of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, and the procedure for amending the constitution, requires at least three-quarters majority vote by the House membership, two-thirds majority vote by the Senate membership, and assent of the president

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

8 years

chief of state:

President Christine KANGALOO (since 20 March 2023)

head of government:

Prime Minister Kamla Susheila PERSAD-BISSESSAR (since 1 May 2025)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed from among members of Parliament

election/appointment process:

• president indirectly elected by an electoral college of selected Senate and House of Representatives members for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• the president usually appoints the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives as prime minister

most recent election date:

20 January 2023

election results:

• 2023: Christine KANGALOO elected president by the electoral college on 20 January 2023;
• electoral college vote Christine KANGALOO (PNM) 48, Israel KHAN (UNC) 22

;

• 2018: Paula-Mae WEEKES (independent) elected president;
• ran unopposed and was elected without a vote;
• she was Trinidad and Tabago's first female head of state

expected date of next election:

by February 2028

legislature name:

Parliament

legislative structure:

bicameral

note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly (19 seats; 15 assemblymen directly elected by simple majority vote and 4 appointed councilors - 3 on the advice of the chief secretary and 1 on the advice of the minority leader; members serve 4-year terms)

chamber name:

House of Representatives

number of seats:

42 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

plurality/majority

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

4/28/2025

parties elected and seats per party:

• United National Congress (UNC) (26);
• People's National Movement (PNM) (13);
• Other (2)

percentage of women in chamber:

23.8%

expected date of next election:

April 2030

chamber name:

Senate

number of seats:

31 (all appointed)

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

5/23/2025

percentage of women in chamber:

25.8%

expected date of next election:

May 2030

highest court(s):

Supreme Court of the Judicature (consists of a chief justice for both the Court of Appeal with 12 judges and the High Court with 24 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the parliamentary leader of the opposition;
• other judges appointed by the Judicial Legal Services Commission, headed by the chief justice and 5 members with judicial experience;
• all judges serve for life with mandatory retirement normally at age 65

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Summary Criminal Jurisdiction;
• Petty Civil Courts;
• Family Court

note: Trinidad and Tobago can file appeals beyond its Supreme Court to the Caribbean Court of Justice, with final appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

• People's National Movement or PNM
• United National Congress or UNC
• Tobago People’s Party or Tobago

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Jenifer NEIDHART de ORTIZ (since January 2025)

embassy:

15 Queen's Park West, Port of Spain

mailing address:

3410 Port of Spain Place, Washington DC 20521-3410

telephone:

(868) 622-6371

FAX:

(868) 822-5905

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://tt.usembassy.gov/

description:

red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper left to the lower right

meaning:

• the colors represent the elements of earth, water, and fire;
• black also stands for the wealth of the land and the dedication of the people;
• white for the sea, the purity of the country's aspirations, and equality;
• red for the sun, the vitality of the land, and the people's courage and friendliness

• designed in 1962, the coat of arms shows the scarlet ibis (national bird of Trinidad) and the cocrico (national bird of Tobago);
• they support a shield displaying two hummingbirds, because Trinidad is home to 18 species of the bird and is called the “Land of Hummingbirds;” three gold ships on a backdrop of national colors represent Christopher Columbus, who visited the islands;
• the three peaks in the lower left refer to Trinidad being named after the Holy Trinity and also represent a famous mountain;
• the image of a gold ship's wheel in front of a coconut palm was also used on the Great Seals of British Colonial Tobago;
• the gold helmet represents Queen Elizabeth II of England (ruler of the country at the time), and the national motto promotes harmony in diversity

title:

"Forged From the Love of Liberty"

lyrics/music:

Patrick Stanislaus CASTAGNE

history:

• adopted 1962;
• song originally written as an anthem for the West Indies Federation;
• Trinidad and Tobago adopted it when the Federation dissolved

• high-income Caribbean economy;
• major hydrocarbon exporter;
• key tourism and finance sectors;
• high inflation and growing public debt;
• long foreign currency access delays;
• large foreign reserves and sovereign wealth fund

total:

11.1% (2024 est.)

male:

10.3% (2024 est.)

female:

12% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

consumption:

6 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

2,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

72,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

26,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

242.982 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

25.994 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

15.316 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

exports:

10.737 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

298.063 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• 6 free-to-air TV networks, 2 of which are state-owned;
• 24 subscription providers (cable and satellite);
• over 36 radio frequencies (2019)

total ports:

10 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

1

small:

4

very small:

5

ports with oil terminals:

8

key ports:

Galeota Point Terminal, Point Lisas Industrial Port, Point Lisas Port, Pointe-a-Pierre, Port of Spain

• the primary responsibilities of the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF) are conducting border and maritime security, assisting civil authorities in times of crisis or disaster, providing search and rescue services, securing ports, and supporting civil law enforcement, particularly in countering gang-related crime and trafficking of narcotics and other illicit goods;
• the Police Service maintains internal security (2025)