Saint Kitts and Nevis (2004) | Saint Kitts and Nevis (2006) | |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 28.6% (male 5,675; female 5,422)
15-64 years: 63% (male 12,242; female 12,236) 65 years and over: 8.4% (male 1,349; female 1,912) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 27.5% (male 5,515/female 5,263)
15-64 years: 64.3% (male 12,605/female 12,572) 65 years and over: 8.1% (male 1,313/female 1,861) (2006 est.) |
Airports | 2 (2003 est.) | 2 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) |
Background | First settled by the British in 1623, the islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. Nevis is once more trying to separate from the Saint Kitts. | First settled by the British in 1623, the islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. Nevis continues in its efforts to try and separate from Saint Kitts. |
Birth rate | 18.26 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 18.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $89.7 million
expenditures: $128.2 million, including capital expenditures of $19.5 million (2003 est.) |
revenues: $89.7 million
expenditures: $128.2 million; including capital expenditures of $19.5 million (2003 est.) |
Capital | Basseterre | name: Basseterre
geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) | tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) |
Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | - |
Death rate | 8.65 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 8.33 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $171 million (2001) | $314 million (2004) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados, Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER, is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis | the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Economic aid - recipient | $8 million (2001) | $-110,000 (2004) |
Economy - overview | Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Although the crop still dominates the agricultural sector, activities such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have assumed larger roles in the economy. As tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange, a decline in stopover tourist arrivals following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks has eroded government finances. The opening of a 1,000+ bed Marriott hotel in February 2003 was expected to bring in much-needed revenue. | Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Although the crop still dominates the agricultural sector, activities such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have assumed larger roles in the economy. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange; about 40,000 tourist visited Nevis during the 2003-2004 season. Additional tourist facilities, including a second cruise ship pier, hotels, and golf courses are under construction. |
Electricity - consumption | 93.26 million kWh (2001) | 103.9 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 100.3 million kWh (2001) | 111.7 million kWh (2003) |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) |
Exports | NA (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - partners | US 61.4%, UK 15.7%, Canada 8.6%, Germany 4.3% (2003) | US 63.5%, Canada 8.4%, UK 5.8% (2005) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $339 million (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $8,800 (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | -1.9% (2002 est.) | 4.9% (2005 est.) |
Highways | total: 320 km
paved: 136 km unpaved: 184 km (1999 est) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - partners | US 35.7%, Italy 16.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, UK 6.4%, Denmark 5.2%, Canada 4.4% (2003) | US 46.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.7%, UK 5.4%, France 4.5%, Japan 4.2% (2005) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA% |
Infant mortality rate | total: 14.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 14.12 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.7% (2001 est.) | 8.7% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | NA | - |
Land use | arable land: 19.44%
permanent crops: 2.78% other: 77.78% (2001) |
arable land: 19.44%
permanent crops: 2.78% other: 77.78% (2005) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 71.86 years
male: 69.03 years female: 74.86 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 72.4 years
male: 69.56 years female: 75.42 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1980 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) |
Merchant marine | none | total: 50 ships (1000 GRT or over) 261,556 GRT/381,593 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 36, chemical tanker 5, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 41 (Greece 1, Monaco 1, Russia 5, Spain 2, Syria 3, Tanzania 1, Turkey 6, UAE 19, Ukraine 3) (2006) |
Military branches | Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (including Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force (including Special Service Unit) | Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force |
Net migration rate | -7.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -4.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Population | 38,836 (July 2004 est.) | 39,129 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.25% (2004 est.) | 0.5% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Basseterre, Charlestown | - |
Railways | total: 50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane plantations during harvest season (2003) |
total: 50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane plantations during harvest season and for tourists (2005) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Telephone system | general assessment: good interisland and international connections
domestic: inter-island links to Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) are handled by VHF/UHF/SHF radiotelephone international: country code - 1-869; international calls are carried by radiotelephone to Antigua and Barbuda and switched there to submarine cable or to Intelsat; or carried to Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) by radiotelephone and switched to Intelsat |
general assessment: good inter-island and international connections
domestic: inter-island links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic cable; construction of enhanced wireless infrastructure launched in November 2004 international: country code - 1-869; international calls are carried by submarine cable or Intelsat |
Telephones - main lines in use | 23,500 (2002) | 25,000 (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 5,000 (2002) | 10,000 (2004) |
Total fertility rate | 2.35 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 2.31 children born/woman (2006 est.) |