Topic: Introduction
Background: Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when Christopher COLUMBUS landed on the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century and Britain took the island in 1762 establishing sugar, cacao, and then nutmeg plantations. Independence was attained in 1974, making Grenada one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere.Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when Christopher COLUMBUS landed on the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century and Britain took the island in 1762 establishing sugar, cacao, and then nutmeg plantations. Independence was attained in 1974, making Grenada one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere.

Topic: Geography
Area: total: 344 sq km

land: 344 sq km

water: 0 sq km
Climate: tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds
Natural resources: timber, tropical fruit

Topic: People and Society
Population: 113,949 (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups: African descent 82.4%, mixed 13.3%, East Indian 2.2%, other 1.3%, unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)
Languages: English (official), French patois
Religions: 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.)
Population growth rate: 0.32% (2022 est.)

Topic: Government
Government type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Capital: name: Saint George's
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)
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)

Topic: Economy
Economic overview: small OECS service-based economy; large tourism, construction, transportation, and education sectors; major spice exporter; shrinking but still high public debt; vulnerable to hurricanes; declining remittancessmall OECS service-based economy; large tourism, construction, transportation, and education sectors; major spice exporter; shrinking but still high public debt; vulnerable to hurricanes; declining remittances
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.7 billion (2020 est.)
Real GDP per capita: $15,100 (2020 est.)
Agricultural products: bananas, watermelons, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, tomatoes, plantains, coconuts, melons, cucumbers, cabbages
Industries: food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction, education, call-center operations
Exports: $650 million (2018 est.)
Exports - partners: United States 40%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7%, Saint Lucia 7%, France 6%, Netherlands 5%, Germany 5%, Ireland 5%, Antigua and Barbuda 5% (2019)
Exports - commodities: fish, nutmeg, cocoa beans, fruits, wheat, toilet paper (2019)
Imports: $640 million (2018 est.)
Imports - partners: United States 35%, Canada 24%, China 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities: aircraft, poultry meat, cars, refined petroleum, food preparation materials (2019)
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -Page last updated: Tuesday, May 17, 2022


Topic: August 11, 2022A new The World of the CIA page has been added under the About tab to let visitors learn more about the Factbook‘s home world at CIA headquarters. This portfolio of outstanding photographs also contains links to still further photos of the CIA compound. Check it out.

Topic: August 4, 2022This month marks The World Factbook’s 60th birthday! To celebrate, a special 60th anniversary cover has been commissioned.Although the Factbook ceased publication in 2017, new annual cover designs have continued to be made as they help brand the publication and online audiences look forward to seeing what each new cover will highlight. This year’s special design – appearing on the Gallery of Covers page – subtly shows the progression and expansion of the Factbook over time; it becomes more graphic heavy “read” from left to right. Also added to the Gallery this week are selected examples of some of the plain covers from the Factbook‘s first two decades, which further underscore the publication’s development over the past sixty years.

Topic: July 28, 2022The World Factbook’s Energy category was recently restructured; while most data has been retained, various former fields have now been combined as subfields under the broad headings of “Electricity,” “Coal,” “Petroleum,” and “Natural gas.” Explanations of some of these revisions will appear below and in What’s New statements in coming weeks.To improve readability and address user feedback, The World Factbook has revised its natural gas data by combining the five former fields into a singular “Natural gas” field, with production, consumption, exports, imports, and proven reserves sub-fields. All data reflect only dry natural gas and exclude non-hydrocarbon gases, as well as vented, flared, and reinjected natural gas.

Topic: July 21, 2022The 2021 edition of The World Factbook has been added to the Archives page (under About). All previous versions of The World Factbook – from 2000 to 2021 – are now available on that page.

Topic: July 14, 2022In Appendix D: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes, the old two-character GEC codes in the first column have been replaced by the new standard three-character GENC codes being adopted by the US Government as the authoritative codes for countries and their subdivisions. GENC stands for Geopolitical Entities, Names, and Codes and is the authoritative set of country names and codes for use by the Federal Government for information exchange. Further details about various types of country codes may be found in the introductory paragraphs of Appendix D.

Topic: July 7, 2022A common question asked of The World Factbook is: How many countries are there? The answer is 195. Based on the seven-continent model, and grouping islands with adjacent continents, Africa has the most countries with 54. Europe contains 49 countries and Asia 48, but these two continents share five countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey. North America consists of 23 sovereign states, Oceania has 14, and South America 12.

Topic: June 30, 2022Have you ever travelled abroad and wondered about a country’s traditional foods? Now you can turn to a country’s Travel Facts and learn about one of its popular national dishes in a new “Traditional Cuisine” entry. In Egypt, for example, ful medames is a stew of cooked fava beans with olive oil, cumin, and other herbs and spices that is served from a large metal jug.

Topic: June 23, 2022The World Factbook has added a new “Tobacco use” field to the People and Society category providing the latest estimates of tobacco use, whether smoked or smokeless or both. According to the World Health Organization, 23% of the US population uses tobacco products, 28.4% among men and 17.5% among women.  This usage rate ranks the US in 66th position among countries, below Italy but above the Philippines.

Topic: June 16, 2022Did you know that Antarctica contains more water than any other continent? The only problem is that it is all ice! Some 99% of the land area is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, the largest single mass of ice on earth covering an area of 14 million sq km (5.4 million sq mi) and containing 26.5 million cu km (6.4 million cu mi) of ice (this is almost 62% of all of the world’s fresh water). If all this ice were converted to liquid water, one estimate is that it would be sufficient to raise the height of the world’s ocean by 58 m (190 ft).

Topic: June 9, 2022For the five World oceans – Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern – a “Volume” entry was recently added that not only presents the estimated volume of each of the oceans in million cubic kilometers, but also the percent of the World Ocean total volume. For example, the Indian Ocean’s 264 million cu km volume represents 19.8% of the volume of all of the World’s oceans.

Topic: June 2, 2022You are visiting a new country and trying to determine what would be a perfect memento of your trip. The World Factbook can help you decide. The Travel Facts page for every country now includes a Souvenirs section that lists favorite items that visitors like to procure. For example, in Nepal common souvenirs include: knotted/woven carpets and hemp items, wool pashminas, sheepskin slippers, woven caps, kukri knives, precious metal and turquoise jewelry, sacred scroll paintings, wood instruments, lokta bark paper, tea, and kitchen spices.

Topic: May 26, 2022In the Environment category, the “Food insecurity” field was recently updated with first quarter 2022 information for 44 – mostly African and Asian – countries where access to food supplies remains a concern. While there have been no significant changes, lingering effects of COVID-19 restrictions are still apparent. More ominously, the ongoing Ukraine war is preventing grain deliveries and raising warnings of an impending global food crisis.

Topic: May 19, 2022A second batch of larger and more detailed country maps was recently added to the Factbook. The new countries include: The Bahamas, Benin, Cameroon, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, and North Korea.

Topic: May 12, 2022Several key demographic fields in the People and Society category have been updated with 2022 data.  These fields are:  “Life expectancy at birth,” “Total fertility rate,” “Infant mortality rate,” and “Sex ratio.”

Topic: May 5, 2022In late March of this year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa, as well as for a few Middle Eastern countries. While wild or naturally occurring polio has been virtually eradicated worldwide, a vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) has become a concern. VDPV is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine and that has changed over time and behaves like the wild or naturally occurring virus. This means that it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come into contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine. The CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccination series. The CDC recommendations may be found in the “Major infectious diseases” entry in the People and Society section of the 24 Sub-Saharan African (and miscellaneous other) countries where VDPV is a threat.

Topic: April 28, 2022An important new field providing data on the prevalence of “Child marriage” has been added to the People and Society category. Girls who marry early tend to drop out of school and often have early, higher-risk pregnancies. Child brides are also at risk of abuse, exploitation, and separation from relatives and family.

Topic: April 21, 2022In the Military and Security section, the “Maritime threat” entry – which describes piracy threats – was recently updated with 2021 numbers. Overall, there was a significant drop in incidents world-wide over 2020 (195) to 132 for 2021; this is the lowest number since 1994.  The Gulf of Aden remained quiet and West African incidents were down considerably. Areas that showed an increase in attacks were the Singapore Straits and the Western Hemisphere.

Topic: April 14, 2022Several population-growth-related fields in the People and Society category have been updated with 2022 data.  These fields are: “Population,” “Population growth rate,” “Birth rate,” “Death rate,” and “Net migration rate.”

Topic: April 7, 2022In the Military and Security category, the “Military equipment inventories and acquisitions” field was recently updated with the latest available information from 2021.

Topic: March 31, 2022Appendix H: Strategic Materials, which lists all of the compounds, metals, non-metals, and rare earth elements deemed to be of critical importance to US national security, has been updated. The US is 100% import reliant for 14 of the 59 elements listed as Strategic Materials. The US gets between 19-25 commodities from China, 13-18 commodities from Canada, 10 from South Africa, 9 from Brazil, 8 from India, and 6 from Russia. The economic slowdown associated with COVID-19 affected global production of many commodities in 2020, but that slackening began to recover in 2021.

Topic: March 24, 2022The World Factbook is delighted to announce the inclusion of 24 new country maps – the first tranche in what will be a series of cartographic updates. The new maps, larger in size and more detailed than previous versions, may be found for the following countries/territories: Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Antarctica, Australia, China, Republic of the Congo, Iceland, India, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Portugal, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

Topic: March 17, 2022In the Military and Security category, the “Military expenditures” field was recently updated with the latest available information.

Topic: March 10, 2022Information on drinking water and sanitation has been updated for 2020; both of these subjects are key indicators of social and economic development.  Both the “Drinking water source” and “Sanitation facility access” fields (in the People and Society section) are categorized as ‘improved’ or ‘unimproved’ and include data for rural, urban, and total populations.  Over 90% of the world’s population has access to improved drinking water sources, while almost 70% of the world’s population has access to improved sanitation facilities.

Topic: March 3, 2022Have a look this week at the population pyramids (under People and Society > “Age structure”) all of which have recently been updated for 2022. Population pyramids illustrate the age and sex structure of a country’s population. Pyramids that are wider at the bottom and get progressively narrower toward the top are typical of youthful populations, while pyramids that are barrel-shaped characterize more mature populations. Population pyramids can provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development.

Topic: February 24, 2022Substantial quantities of new photos have recently been added to the following World Factbook entries: Angola, Cuba, Djibouti, Liberia, Nepal, Rwanda, Serbia, and Taiwan.

Topic: February 17, 2022In the People and Society category, the “Urbanization” field, which shows the estimated proportion of a country’s population living in urban areas, has been updated with 2022 data. The “Major urban areas – population” field, which provides the estimated population of up to six of a country’s largest urban centers over 750,000 people, has also been updated. For those countries with no metropolis  of 750,000 or more, the estimated population of only the capital has been provided.

Topic: February 10, 2022The World Factbook is delighted to unveil its latest field this week entitled “National heritage,” which introduces a country’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The first subfield in this new entry – found in the Government section – lists how many sites are present in a country and whether they are cultural or natural or both. The second subfield lists up to 10 or so selected sites in a country. Most countries have fewer than 10 or 12 sites, but some (mostly larger) countries contain many dozen. The United States currently has 24 inscribed sites. Where possible, links have been set up from a listed site to a photo from The World Factbook‘s photo collection.

Topic: February 3, 2022The “Military service age and obligation” field has been expanded where possible with information on the approximate numbers or percentages of conscripts in a country’s military. Additionally, the percentages of women in the military have been added where that data is available.

Topic: January 27, 2022There are 195 independent countries in the World; amazingly, 80 of them (41% !) have names beginning with one of only four letters (at least in the English language): B (18, Bahamas to Burundi), C (18, Cambodia to Czechia), M (18, Macedonia to Mozambique), and S (24, Saint Kitts and Nevis to Syria). All other letters except W and X begin the name of at least one country.

Topic: January 20, 2022Last week the uninhabited island of Hunga Tonga in the Tongan archipelago began to erupt. Located 65 km (40 mi) north of Tongatapu, Tonga’s main island, it is part of the highly active Tonga–Kermadec Islands volcanic arc in the South Pacific. The eruption caused damaging tsunamis along the entire rim of the Pacific Ocean but, fortunately, loss of life has been low. The explosion is the largest of the 21st century to date.

Topic: January 13, 2022Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups has been completely updated and includes several new entries (e.g., Forum for the Progress of South America and Wassenaar Arrangement), as well as their contact information (address, phone, fax). In addition, email and website addresses have been added for most organizations.

Topic: January 06, 2022Appendix T: Terrorist Organizations has been updated with the latest information from the US State Department’s just-published Country Terrorism Review. All Appendix T entries are now up to at least 2020 and most are 2021. Included are two new foreign terrorist organizations: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) and Segunda Marquetalia.

Topic: December 30, 2021Have you ever heard of AOSIS? The acronym stands for the Alliance of Small Island States. Established in 1990, it is an intergovernmental organization of 39 small island and low-lying coastal countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change. AOSIS has been very active from its inception and has played a leading role in global forums in raising awareness on climate change and in advocating for action to address climate change. To find out more about AOSIS, or about any of more than 200 other international organizations, go to References and click on Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups.

Topic: December 16, 2021In the five Oceans entries, the “Marine fisheries” field – in the Environment category – has been updated with the latest available 2019 FAO numbers. Overall, the rankings did not change significantly. The Pacific Ocean remains the largest fishery with 57.8% of total global catch, followed by the Atlantic (26.4%), and Indian Oceans (15.3%). Herrings, sardines, and anchovies make up 24% of the global catch of marine fishes.

Topic: December 9, 2021In the Transportation category, the “Merchant marine” entry has been updated for all countries that have a merchant fleet.

Topic: December 2, 2021On 30 November 2021, the Caribbean island nation of Barbados became a republic, transitioning from a parliamentary constitutional monarchy to a parliamentary republic with a ceremonial elected president as head of state. The prime minister remains head of government and the country continues its membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. The date marked the 55th anniversary of Barbados achieving its independence from the UK in 1966.

Topic: November 18, 2021Are you interested in education and youth employment trends? Please see our newly updated entries for “Education expenditures,” “Literacy,” and “Youth unemployment” in the People and Society section for all countries.

Topic: November 11, 2021The “Illicit drugs” entry in the Transnational Issues section was recently updated for all countries with the latest available information and data.

Topic: November 4, 2021The World Factbook has added its latest water-related fields, “Major lakes” and “Major rivers,” which appear in both the Geography and Environment categories. “Major aquifers” and “Major watersheds” were introduced last month. The “Major lakes” entry includes natural lakes larger that 500 sq km and designates them as either fresh water or salt water. The “Major rivers” field includes rivers longer than 1,000 km – 87 of them in 84 countries. Several large countries have multiple river entries: Brazil with 7, Canada 10, China 10, India 9, Russia 9, and the US 11.

Topic: October 28, 2021The World Factbook is pleased to announce an enhancement to its 223 One-Page Summaries, which now include a brief country/territory Introduction and an Economic Overview snapshot to accompany the latest economic data. In addition, the Government, Geography, and People and Society fields have all been updated where possible.

Topic: October 21, 2021The US Government designates 16 countries as Major Non-NATO Allies (MNNA) with which it has strategic working relationships in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation. The countries are: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Tunisia. While MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments. Information on MNNA status has been added to the “Military – note” for each of these countries.

Topic: October 14, 2021The World Factbook is introducing four new water-related fields, to appear in both the Geography and Environment categories. “Major aquifers” and “Major watersheds” are being launched this week; “Major lakes” and “Major rivers” will be added in the not-too-distant future.

Topic: October 7, 2021The “Military expenditures” entry was recently updated for all countries with the latest available data – mostly with 2020 numbers, but a few with 2021 or 2019 figures.

Topic: September 30, 2021In the Government category, the “Diplomatic representation in the US” and the “Diplomatic representation from the US” entries were recently updated for all countries. Additionally, email and website addresses were included for all foreign embassies in the US, as well as for US embassies abroad.

Topic: September 23, 2021Did you know there really is a Robinson Crusoe Island? From 1704 to 1709, the island was home to a marooned sailor, Alexander Selkirk, who at least partially inspired novelist Daniel Defoe’s fictional Robinson Crusoe in his 1719 novel. Today some 850 people live on the island, which received its current name in 1966 to reflect its literary connection and to promote tourism. To find out where the island is located, what it was formerly called, and to what country it belongs, check the Factbook‘s Appendix F: Geographic Names.

Topic: September 16, 2021The troy weight system is primarily used in the precious metals industry (e.g., the troy ounce is a traditional unit of gold weight). So, how would someone convert from troy pounds to kilograms? Find out by visiting The World Factbook‘s Weights and Measures page (Appendix G) and scrolling down to either kilograms or pounds, troy.

Topic: September 9, 2021Rare earth elements or REEs are 17 chemical elements that are critical in many of today’s high-tech industries. Typical applications for REEs include batteries in hybrid cars, fiber optic cables, flat panel displays, and permanent magnets, as well as some defense and medical products. Appendix H: Strategic Materials includes detailed information on 16 of these elements, including facts describing the elements, their uses, import sources and import quantities, world resources, and any available substitutes. (The only REE not included is Promethium, which exists only in miniscule, economically insignificant quantities.)

Topic: September 2, 2021In the Government category, under the “Legislative branch” entry, the descriptions for all Central and South Asian countries, as well as all South American, Mesoamerican, and Greater Antilles countries, have been reviewed and updated where necessary.

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Topic: July 22, 2021In the Environment category, all the “Food insecurity” entries have been updated with the latest available UN Food and Agriculture Organization data (July 2021).

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Topic: June 10, 2021In the Transnational Issues category, the “Trafficking in persons” entry was recently updated for the roughly five dozen countries where this situation continues to be a serious problem and is not being adequately addressed.

Topic: June 3, 2021Many World Factbook users are aware that the Government section for every country contains a “National anthem” entry as well as a musical link. Did you know that the World entry also has national anthem information? Listed in that entry are distinctive or exceptional anthems, such as the world’s oldest anthem, the world’s shortest anthem, the countries with two official anthems, etc. Visit the World entry to learn what all these remarkable anthems are.

Topic: May 27, 2021Did you know that the oceans are divided into three zones based on depth and light level? Find out what these three levels are by going to any of the five ocean entries (Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, Southern), then the “Elevation” field and checking out the new ‘ocean zones’ entry. A link to a helpful chart is also included.

Topic: May 20, 2021The “Marine fisheries” field in the Environment section of the five Oceans entries was recently updated. The link found in each of these fields displays the Major Fishing Areas of the world as delineated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Topic: May 13, 2021Trade data fields for “Imports – commodities,” “Exports – commodities,” “Imports – partners,” and “Exports – partners” have been updated for all countries and territories. This update includes trade data for smaller territories that The World Factbook had not previously reported.

Topic: May 6, 2021In the World entry, the airport traffic numbers in the Transportation category have been updated with preliminary 2020 data and they present a dramatically different scenario due to COVID-19 restrictions. Passenger traffic through the top ten airports declined 45.7% in 2020 and for all airports globally dropped am amazing 64.6%. Atlanta, which had been the busiest passenger airport for more than 20 years, is now number two. Seven of the top ten airports for passenger traffic are in China and the other three are in the US. Most of the new rankings are due to domestic flights in China; when global traffic opens up again the old passenger patterns should reemerge.In contrast, air cargo traffic in the top ten airports grew by 3% in 2020 and the rank order was largely unchanged. Memphis, TN surpassed Hong Kong to become the busiest cargo airport. All told, the top ten cargo airports handled 28% of global air cargo.

Topic: April 29, 2021In the Military and Security category, the following fields have been updated with the latest 2020 or 2021 data/information: “Military and security forces,” “Military and security service personnel strengths,” “Military deployments,” and “Military equipment inventories and acquisitions.”

Topic: April 22, 2021In honor of Earth Day, The World Factbook is introducing a new Environment category, with newly compiled entries that include information on air pollution, water supplies, revenues from natural resources, food insecurity, and waste and recycling. A few of the new category’s fields have appeared in other Factbook sections before (climate, land use, urbanization, major infectious diseases) and they are now gathered in this new section. The new category may be found after ‘People and Society’ but before ‘Government’ under every country listing.

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Topic: August 20, 2020Continuing this month’s cartography spotlight: Did you know that you can find multiple maps to almost a hundred countries under  the References tab>Regional and World Maps>Maps at CIA? The maps usually include two, and frequently all three, of the following country maps: Administrative, Physiographic, and Transportation – in both PDF and JPG formats.

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Topic: May 21, 2020Did you know that more than three-quarters of the world’s countries have a maritime boundary of some sort. As such, they have an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which is a sea zone – set forth by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea – over which a country has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources. An EEZ stretches from a country’s mean-low tide baseline at its coast out to 200 nautical miles. Most maps do not show EEZs, but The World Factbook’s World Oceans map does (under the References tab>Regional and World Maps>World Oceans; the PDF version is the most informative, particularly when enlarged). More than one-third of the world’s ocean area falls within an EEZ.

Topic: May 14, 2020

Topic: May 07, 2020The “Capital” entry (under Government) is where visitors to The World Factbook will find information related to time. This placement is because the Factbook indicates the time difference in a country relative to the time observed in Washington, DC. The “Capital” entry is also where information on daylight savings time and time zones may be found.Did you know that only about a third of all countries – and only about one-fifth of the world’s inhabitants – use daylight savings time? Find more detailed information on time zones and daylight savings time under World>Government>Capital.

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Topic: June 21, 2019The World Factbook is proud to unveil its new Travel Facts feature!144 country pages – ranging from Afghanistan to Yemen – now have an embedded Travel Facts icon, which visitors can click to reveal a downloadable one-page summary of important facts to know before traveling to that country. Travel Facts include: Passport/Visa requirements, US State Dept. Travel Warnings, Vaccination Requirements, Climate, Currency, Major Languages, Religions, Time Difference, Potable Water, International Driving Permit requirement, Road Driving Side, Electricity/Voltage/Plug Type(s), Cultural Practices, Telephone Code, Local Emergency Phone Numbers, and US Embassy/Consulate Information.Travel Facts for the remainder of the world’s countries will become available in the months to come.

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Topic: February 14, 2019Greece and its northern neighbor Macedonia recently resolved a nearly-three-decade-old naming dispute in which both countries claimed historical rights to the name “Macedonia.” The Republic of Macedonia agreed to change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia and this renaming was officially promulgated on 12 February 2019. The World Factbook will incorporate the new name throughout its database after the US State Department receives an official diplomatic notification from the Macedonian Government and after the name has been approved by the US Board on Geographic Names – all of which should take place within the next few days.Other country name changes of the 21st century include last year’s name change of Swaziland to Eswatini, the Czech Republic adopting the short-form name of Czechia in 2016, Cape Verde formalizing the Portuguese use of its name Cabo Verde for all official purposes in 2013, and East Timor adopting the name of Timor-Leste shortly after attaining independence in 2002.

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Topic: July 05, 2018

Topic: June 28, 2018

Topic: June 21, 2018

Topic: June 14, 2018

Topic: June 07, 2018

Topic: May 31, 2018

Topic: May 16, 2018

Topic: May 10, 2018

Topic: May 03, 2018

Topic: April 26, 2018

Topic: April 19, 2018

Topic: April 11, 2018

Topic: April 05, 2018

Topic: March 29, 2018

Topic: March 22, 2018

Topic: March 15, 2018

Topic: March 09, 2018

Topic: March 05, 2018

Topic: February 23, 2018

Topic: February 16, 2018

Topic: February 09, 2018

Topic: February 01, 2018

Topic: January 26, 2018

Topic: January 19, 2018

Topic: January 11, 2018

Topic: January 05, 2018

Topic: December 22, 2017

Topic: December 15, 2017

Topic: December 08, 2017

Topic: December 01, 2017

Topic: November 17, 2017

Topic: November 09, 2017

Topic: November 03, 2017

Topic: October 27, 2017

Topic: October 20, 2017

Topic: October 13, 2017

Topic: October 06, 2017

Topic: September 22, 2017

Topic: September 18, 2017

Topic: September 08, 2017

Topic: September 01, 2017

Topic: August 25, 2017

Topic: August 18, 2017

Topic: August 04, 2017

Topic: July 28, 2017

Topic: July 21, 2017

Topic: July 14, 2017

Topic: July 07, 2017

Topic: June 30, 2017

Topic: June 23, 2017

Topic: June 09, 2017

Topic: June 02, 2017

Topic: May 25, 2017

Topic: May 16, 2017

Topic: May 11, 2017

Topic: April 26, 2017

Topic: April 20, 2017

Topic: April 12, 2017

Topic: April 06, 2017

Topic: March 30, 2017

Topic: March 23, 2017

Topic: March 16, 2017

Topic: March 09, 2017

Topic: March 02, 2017

Topic: February 23, 2017

Topic: February 13, 2017

Topic: February 02, 2017

Topic: January 26, 2017

Topic: January 13, 2017

Topic: January 06, 2017

Topic: December 23, 2016

Topic: December 16, 2016

Topic: December 09, 2016

Topic: December 02, 2016

Topic: November 23, 2016

Topic: November 17, 2016

Topic: November 10, 2016

Topic: November 04, 2016

Topic: October 28, 2016

Topic: October 21, 2016

Topic: October 14, 2016

Topic: October 07, 2016

Topic: September 30, 2016

Topic: September 23, 2016

Topic: September 16, 2016

Topic: September 08, 2016

Topic: August 26, 2016

Topic: August 19, 2016

Topic: August 12, 2016

Topic: August 05, 2016

Topic: July 29, 2016

Topic: July 22, 2016

Topic: July 15, 2016

Topic: July 08, 2016

Topic: July 01, 2016

Topic: June 24, 2016

Topic: June 17, 2016

Topic: June 10, 2016

Topic: June 03, 2016

Topic: May 27, 2016

Topic: May 19, 2016

Topic: May 12, 2016

Topic: May 06, 2016

Topic: April 29, 2016

Topic: April 22, 2016

Topic: April 15, 2016

Topic: April 08, 2016

Topic: April 01, 2016

Topic: March 17, 2016

Topic: March 10, 2016

Topic: February 25, 2016

Topic: February 19, 2016

Topic: February 12, 2016

Topic: February 05, 2016

Topic: January 29, 2016

Topic: January 21, 2016

Topic: January 15, 2016

Topic: January 08, 2016

Topic: December 30, 2015

Topic: December 17, 2015

Topic: December 10, 2015

Topic: November 20, 2015

Topic: November 13, 2015

Topic: November 06, 2015

Topic: October 30, 2015

Topic: October 22, 2015

Topic: October 16, 2015

Topic: October 09, 2015

Topic: October 02, 2015

Topic: September 25, 2015

Topic: September 18, 2015

Topic: September 11, 2015

Topic: September 02, 2015

Topic: August 27, 2015

Topic: August 20, 2015

Topic: August 13, 2015

Topic: August 07, 2015

Topic: July 31, 2015

Topic: July 24, 2015

Topic: July 17, 2015

Topic: July 10, 2015

Topic: July 02, 2015

Topic: June 26, 2015

Topic: June 19, 2015

Topic: June 12, 2015

Topic: May 29, 2015

Topic: May 22, 2015

Topic: May 15, 2015

Topic: May 08, 2015

Topic: April 30, 2015

Topic: April 21, 2015

Topic: April 13, 2015

Topic: August 15, 2014

Topic: July 10, 2014

Topic: June 26, 2014

Topic: June 19, 2014

Topic: June 12, 2014

Topic: June 05, 2014

Topic: May 29, 2014

Topic: May 15, 2014

Topic: May 08, 2014

Topic: April 30, 2014

Topic: April 17, 2014

Topic: April 10, 2014

Topic: April 03, 2014

Topic: March 27, 2014

Topic: March 20, 2014

Topic: March 06, 2014

Topic: February 27, 2014

Topic: February 20, 2014

Topic: February 13, 2014

Topic: February 06, 2014

Topic: January 30, 2014

Topic: January 16, 2014

Topic: January 09, 2014

Topic: December 19, 2013

Topic: December 10, 2013

Topic: December 05, 2013

Topic: November 21, 2013

Topic: November 14, 2013

Topic: November 06, 2013

Topic: October 31, 2013

Topic: October 24, 2013

Topic: September 26, 2013

Topic: September 12, 2013

Topic: August 29, 2013

Topic: August 22, 2013

Topic: August 15, 2013

Topic: August 08, 2013

Topic: August 01, 2013

Topic: July 11, 2013

Topic: July 03, 2013

Topic: June 27, 2013

Topic: June 20, 2013

Topic: June 13, 2013

Topic: June 06, 2013

Topic: May 23, 2013

Topic: May 16, 2013

Topic: May 09, 2013

Topic: May 02, 2013

Topic: April 25, 2013

Topic: April 18, 2013

Topic: April 11, 2013

Topic: April 04, 2013

Topic: March 28, 2013

Topic: March 21, 2013

Topic: March 14, 2013

Topic: February 28, 2013

Topic: February 21, 2013

Topic: February 14, 2013

Topic: February 07, 2013

Topic: January 31, 2013

Topic: January 24, 2013

Topic: January 17, 2013

Topic: January 10, 2013

Topic: January 03, 2013

Topic: December 20, 2012

Topic: December 13, 2012

Topic: December 06, 2012

Topic: November 29, 2012

Topic: November 21, 2012

Topic: November 15, 2012

Topic: November 08, 2012

Topic: October 26, 2012

Topic: October 18, 2012

Topic: October 11, 2012

Topic: October 04, 2012

Topic: September 27, 2012

Topic: September 20, 2012

Topic: September 13, 2012

Topic: September 05, 2012

Topic: August 29, 2012

Topic: August 22, 2012

Topic: August 08, 2012

Topic: August 01, 2012

Topic: July 25, 2012

Topic: July 18, 2012

Topic: July 04, 2012

Topic: June 27, 2012

Topic: June 21, 2012

Topic: June 13, 2012

Topic: May 30, 2012

Topic: May 23, 2012

Topic: May 16, 2012

Topic: May 09, 2012

Topic: May 02, 2012

Topic: April 17, 2012

Topic: April 11, 2012

Topic: April 04, 2012

Topic: March 21, 2012

Topic: March 14, 2012

Topic: March 07, 2012

Topic: February 29, 2012

Topic: February 15, 2012

Topic: February 08, 2012

Topic: January 26, 2012

Topic: January 18, 2012


This entry refers to a country's total energy consumption per capita, including the consumption of petroleum, dry natural gas, coal, net nuclear, hydroelectric, and non-hydroelectric renewable electricity. Data are reported in British thermal Units per person (Btu/person).

Topic: Afghanistan3.227 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Albania38.442 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Algeria61.433 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: American Samoa88.796 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Angola11.693 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Antarctica0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Antigua and Barbuda107.154 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Argentina79.083 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Armenia53.019 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Aruba174.629 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Australia241.004 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Austria171.299 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Azerbaijan64.416 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Bahamas, The140.505 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Bahrain547.976 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Bangladesh9.917 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Barbados83.723 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Belarus102.558 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Belgium234.216 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Belize31.552 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Benin8.468 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Bermuda176.312 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Bhutan100.135 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Bolivia27.094 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Bosnia and Herzegovina71.815 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Botswana34.095 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Brazil59.444 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: British Virgin Islands80.136 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Brunei415.184 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Bulgaria103.924 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Burkina Faso3.23 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Burma10.679 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Burundi1.087 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Cabo Verde26.539 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Cambodia13.629 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Cameroon6.187 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Canada403.7 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Cayman Islands175.578 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Central African Republic1.121 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Chad1.575 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Chile81.953 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: China105.687 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Colombia34.703 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Comoros5.346 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Congo, Democratic Republic of the1.371 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Congo, Republic of the16.156 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Cook Islands0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Costa Rica44.899 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Cote d'Ivoire8.225 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Croatia89.733 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Cuba32.785 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Cyprus133.92 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Czechia161.972 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Denmark124.163 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Djibouti8.869 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Dominica37.513 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Dominican Republic39.016 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Ecuador42.564 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Egypt40.063 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: El Salvador24.124 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Equatorial Guinea57.596 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Eritrea3.217 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Estonia76.329 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Eswatini19.371 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Ethiopia3.219 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Faroe Islands0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Fiji32.901 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Finland216.571 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: France151.053 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: French Polynesia0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Gabon26.786 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Gambia, The3.547 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Gaza Strip13.604 million Btu/person (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Topic: Georgia63.286 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Germany161.174 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Ghana11.239 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Gibraltar0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Greece108.022 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Grenada39.799 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Guam152.767 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Guatemala19.411 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Guinea4.133 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Guinea-Bissau2.46 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Guyana48.608 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Haiti3.97 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Honduras19.8 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Hong Kong172.009 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Hungary108.212 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: India23.231 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Indonesia29.68 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Iran145.54 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Iraq63.174 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Ireland133.674 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Israel113.273 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Italy112.606 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Jamaica49.7 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Japan147.107 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Jordan39.331 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Kazakhstan180.726 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Kenya6.31 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Kiribati9.335 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Korea, North12.61 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Korea, South242.346 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Kosovo51.462 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Kuwait381.985 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Kyrgyzstan35.059 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Laos73.187 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Latvia86.645 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Lebanon53.528 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Lesotho7.823 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Liberia3.79 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Libya107.118 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Lithuania101.651 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Luxembourg310.068 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Macau81.407 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Madagascar2.307 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Malawi1.809 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Malaysia123.755 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Maldives59.69 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Mali4.396 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Malta267.739 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Mauritania13.558 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Mauritius79.448 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Mexico61.597 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Micronesia, Federated States of0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Moldova40.398 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Mongolia83.045 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Montenegro77.286 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Montserrat0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Morocco24.59 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Mozambique8.107 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Namibia29.811 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Nauru0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Nepal5.219 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Netherlands219.606 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: New Caledonia0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: New Zealand186.804 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Nicaragua14.916 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Niger1.54 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Nigeria8.466 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Niue0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: North Macedonia53.572 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Northern Mariana Islands0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Norway333.833 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Oman292.022 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Pakistan15.859 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Panama98.946 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Papua New Guinea11.316 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Paraguay62.775 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Peru36.465 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Philippines19.261 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Poland112.831 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Portugal101.734 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Puerto Rico94.379 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Qatar723.582 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Romania71.736 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Russia227.898 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Rwanda1.704 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Saint Kitts and Nevis71.96 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Saint Lucia50.872 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Saint Pierre and Miquelon0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines27.821 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Samoa27.111 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Sao Tome and Principe11.636 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Saudi Arabia296.949 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Senegal9.221 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Serbia98.195 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Seychelles163.06 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Sierra Leone1.803 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Singapore639.951 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Slovakia129.665 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Slovenia134.836 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Solomon Islands6.955 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Somalia802,000 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: South Africa98.474 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: South Sudan2.404 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Spain122.673 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Sri Lanka17.268 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Sudan8.047 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Suriname82.356 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Sweden210.882 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Switzerland137.918 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Syria24.567 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Taiwan160.669 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Tajikistan27.651 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Tanzania3.334 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Thailand76.714 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Timor-Leste5.74 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Togo4.113 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Tonga22.841 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Tunisia35.62 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Turkey (Turkiye)79.126 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Turkmenistan330.507 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Turks and Caicos Islands0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Tuvalu0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Uganda2.943 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Ukraine82.571 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: United Arab Emirates471.788 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: United Kingdom119.894 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: United States304.414 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Uruguay66.909 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Uzbekistan57.709 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Vanuatu10.878 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Venezuela85.829 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Vietnam36.392 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Wake Island0 Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: West Bank13.604 million Btu/person (2019 est.) Data represented includes both the Gaza Strip and West Bank

Topic: Yemen5.453 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Zambia11.595 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Zimbabwe11.516 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


Topic: Photos of Dhekelia

Topic: Introduction
Background: By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area.Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Topic: Geography
Location: Eastern Mediterranean, on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta
Geographic coordinates: 34 59 N, 33 45 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 131 sq km

note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves
Area - comparative: about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 108 km

border countries (1): Cyprus 108 km
Coastline: 27.5 km
Climate: temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Geography - note: British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus; several small Cypriot enclaves exist within the Sovereign Base Area (SBA); of the SBA land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land
Map description: Dhekelia map showing the UK Sovereign Base Area as well as the adjacent part of southeast Cyprus.Dhekelia map showing the UK Sovereign Base Area as well as the adjacent part of southeast Cyprus.

Topic: People and Society
Population: approximately 15,500 on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 9,700 Cypriots and 5,800 Service and UK-based contract personnel and dependents
Languages: English, Greek

major-language sample(s):
Το Παγκόσμιο Βιβλίο Δεδομένων, η απαραίτητη πηγή βασικών πληροφοριών. (Greek)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA

15-24 years: NA

25-54 years: NA

55-64 years: NA

65 years and over: NA
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: NA

youth dependency ratio: NA

elderly dependency ratio: NA

potential support ratio: NA
Birth rate: NA
Death rate: NA
Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA
Drinking water source: improved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: NA

unimproved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: NA
Current Health Expenditure: NA
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA
Education expenditures: NA

Topic: Environment
Environment - current issues: netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn
Climate: temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Topic: Government
Country name: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Dhekelia
Dependency status: a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
Capital: name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia); located in Akrotiri

geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: "Episkopi" means "episcopal" in Greek and stems from the fact that the site previously served as the bishop's seat of an Orthodox diocese
Constitution: history: presented 3 August 1960, effective 16 August 1960 (The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, serves as a basic legal document); amended 1966 (2021)
Legal system: laws applicable to the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the Republic of Cyprus; note - the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to deal with civil and criminal matters
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)

head of government: Administrator Major General Robert J. THOMSON (since 25 September 2019); note - administrator reports to the British Ministry of Defense; the chief officer is responsible for the day-to-day running of the civil government of the Sovereign Bases

elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; administrator appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Ministry of Defense
Judicial branch: highest courts: Senior Judges' Court (consists of several visiting judges from England and Wales)

judge selection and term of office: see entry for United Kingdom

subordinate courts: Resident Judges' Court; military courts
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description: the flag of the UK is used
National anthem: note: as a United Kingdom area of special sovereignty, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)note: as a United Kingdom area of special sovereignty, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)

Topic: Economy
Economic overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Industries: none
Exchange rates: note: uses the euronote: uses the euro

Topic: Communications
Broadcast media: British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Dhekelia Sovereign Base

Topic: Military and Security
Military - note: defense of Dhekelia (aka Eastern Sovereign Base Area) is the responsibility of the UK; includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway


Topic: Introduction
Background: In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of isolated communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. A large informal economy and a weak energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles

Topic: Geography
Area: total: 28,748 sq km

land: 27,398 sq km

water: 1,350 sq km
Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land

Topic: People and Society
Population: 3,095,344 (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups: Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.)
Languages: Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)
Religions: Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2% (2011 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.22% (2022 est.)

Topic: Government
Government type: parliamentary republic
Capital: name: Tirana (Tirane)
Executive branch: chief of state: President of the Republic Ilir META (since 24 July 2017)

head of government: Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Arben AHMETAJ (since 18 September 2021)
Legislative branch: description: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

Topic: Economy
Economic overview: future hopeful EU member state; oil and gas exporter but investing toward a “blue economy”; COVID-19 and earthquake economic disruptions and declines; experiencing high debt and account balances; strengthening private sector growth and public sector trustfuture hopeful EU member state; oil and gas exporter but investing toward a “blue economy”; COVID-19 and earthquake economic disruptions and declines; experiencing high debt and account balances; strengthening private sector growth and public sector trust
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): $37.73 billion (2020 est.)
Real GDP per capita: $13,300 (2020 est.)
Agricultural products: milk, maize, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelons, wheat, grapes, cucumbers, onions, apples
Industries: food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Exports: $3.47 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners: Italy 45%, Spain 8%, Germany 6%, Greece 5%, France 4%, China 4% (2019)
Exports - commodities: leather footwear and parts, crude petroleum, iron alloys, clothing, electricity, perfumes (2019)
Imports: $5.67 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners: Italy 28%, Greece 12%, China 11%, Turkey 9%, Germany 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities: refined petroleum, cars, tanned hides, packaged medical supplies, footwear parts (2019)Page last updated: Wednesday, Jun 15, 2022


Topic: Photos of Bhutan

Topic: Introduction
Background: Following Britain’s victory in the 1865 Duar War, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding land to British India. Ugyen WANGCHUCK - who had served as the de facto ruler of an increasingly unified Bhutan and had improved relations with the British toward the end of the 19th century - was named king in 1907. Three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs, and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. Bhutan negotiated a similar arrangement with independent India in 1949. The Indo-Bhutanese Treaty of Friendship returned to Bhutan a small piece of the territory annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and foreign relations. Under a succession of modernizing monarchs beginning in the 1950s, Bhutan joined the UN in 1971 and slowly continued its engagement beyond its borders. In 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the draft of Bhutan's first constitution - which introduced major democratic reforms - and held a national referendum for its approval. The King abdicated the throne in 2006 in favor of his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK. In 2007, India and Bhutan renegotiated their treaty, eliminating the clause that stated that Bhutan would be "guided by" India in conducting its foreign policy, although Thimphu continues to coordinate closely with New Delhi. In 2008, Bhutan held its first parliamentary election in accordance with the constitution. Bhutan experienced a peaceful turnover of power following a parliamentary election in 2013, which resulted in the defeat of the incumbent party. In 2018, the incumbent party again lost the parliamentary election. Of the more than 100,000 ethnic Nepali - predominantly Lhotshampa - refugees who fled or were forced out of Bhutan in the 1990s, about 6,500 remain displaced in Nepal.Following Britain’s victory in the 1865 Duar War, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding land to British India. Ugyen WANGCHUCK - who had served as the de facto ruler of an increasingly unified Bhutan and had improved relations with the British toward the end of the 19th century - was named king in 1907. Three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs, and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. Bhutan negotiated a similar arrangement with independent India in 1949. The Indo-Bhutanese Treaty of Friendship returned to Bhutan a small piece of the territory annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and foreign relations. Under a succession of modernizing monarchs beginning in the 1950s, Bhutan joined the UN in 1971 and slowly continued its engagement beyond its borders.In 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the draft of Bhutan's first constitution - which introduced major democratic reforms - and held a national referendum for its approval. The King abdicated the throne in 2006 in favor of his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK. In 2007, India and Bhutan renegotiated their treaty, eliminating the clause that stated that Bhutan would be "guided by" India in conducting its foreign policy, although Thimphu continues to coordinate closely with New Delhi. In 2008, Bhutan held its first parliamentary election in accordance with the constitution. Bhutan experienced a peaceful turnover of power following a parliamentary election in 2013, which resulted in the defeat of the incumbent party. In 2018, the incumbent party again lost the parliamentary election. Of the more than 100,000 ethnic Nepali - predominantly Lhotshampa - refugees who fled or were forced out of Bhutan in the 1990s, about 6,500 remain displaced in Nepal.Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Topic: Geography
Location: Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates: 27 30 N, 90 30 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 38,394 sq km

land: 38,394 sq km

water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Maryland; about one-half the size of Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 1,136 km

border countries (2): China 477 km; India 659 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas
Terrain: mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Elevation: highest point: Gangkar Puensum 7,570 m

lowest point: Drangeme Chhu 97 m

mean elevation: 2,220 m
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbonate
Land use: agricultural land: 13.6% (2018 est.)

arable land: 2.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 85.5% (2018 est.)

other: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land: 320 sq km (2012)
Natural hazards: violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's Bhutanese name, which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season
Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes
Map description: Bhutan map showing major towns as well as parts of surrounding countries.Bhutan map showing major towns as well as parts of surrounding countries.

Topic: People and Society
Population: 867,775 (2022 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Bhutanese
Ethnic groups: Ngalop (also known as Bhote) 50%, ethnic Nepali 35% (predominantly Lhotshampas), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
Languages: Sharchopkha 28%, Dzongkha (official) 24%, Lhotshamkha 22%, other 26% (includes foreign languages) (2005 est.)
Religions: Lamaistic Buddhist 75.3%, Indian- and Nepali-influenced Hinduism 22.1%, other 2.6% (2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.52% (male 98,113/female 93,740)

15-24 years: 17.77% (male 70,768/female 68,211)

25-54 years: 44.72% (male 184,500/female 165,374)

55-64 years: 6.39% (male 26,714/female 23,280)

65 years and over: 6.6% (2020 est.) (male 26,797/female 24,821)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 45.1

youth dependency ratio: 36.1

elderly dependency ratio: 9

potential support ratio: 11.1 (2020 est.)
Median age: total: 29.1 years

male: 29.6 years

female: 28.6 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.97% (2022 est.)
Birth rate: 15.94 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate: 6.22 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 43.7% of total population (2022)

rate of urbanization: 2.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population: 203,000 THIMPHU (capital) (2018)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.12 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female

total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio: 183 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 27.04 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 27.22 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 26.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.31 years

male: 71.19 years

female: 73.49 years (2022 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA
Drinking water source: improved: urban: 99.5% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 99.8% of population

unimproved: urban: 0.5% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0.2% of population (2020 est.)
Current Health Expenditure: 3.6% (2019)
Physicians density: 0.5 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density: 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2012)
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: 90.8% of population

rural: 83.1% of population

total: 86.4% of population

unimproved: urban: 9.2% of population

rural: 16.9% of population

total: 13.6% of population (2020 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2020 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1,300 (2020)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: (2020) <100
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 6.4% (2016)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA
Education expenditures: 6.9% of GDP (2018 est.)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 66.6%

male: 75%

female: 57.1% (2017)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2018)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: total: 10.7%

male: 8.2%

female: 12.7% (2015 est.)

Topic: Environment
Environment - current issues: soil erosion; limited access to potable water; wildlife conservation; industrial pollution; waste disposal
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Air pollutants: particulate matter emissions: 35.32 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions: 1.26 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions: 1.11 megatons (2020 est.)
Climate: varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas
Land use: agricultural land: 13.6% (2018 est.)

arable land: 2.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 85.5% (2018 est.)

other: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 43.7% of total population (2022)

rate of urbanization: 2.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Revenue from forest resources: forest revenues: 1.89% of GDP (2018 est.)
Revenue from coal: coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 111,314 tons (2007 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually: 957 tons (2016 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 0.9% (2016 est.)
Total water withdrawal: municipal: 17 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial: 3 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural: 318 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Total renewable water resources: 78 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Topic: Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan

conventional short form: Bhutan

local long form: Druk Gyalkhap

local short form: Druk Yul

etymology: named after the Bhotia, the ethnic Tibetans who migrated from Tibet to Bhutan; "Bod" is the Tibetan name for their land; the Bhutanese name "Druk Yul" means "Land of the Thunder Dragon"
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: name: Thimphu

geographic coordinates: 27 28 N, 89 38 E

time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: the origins of the name are unclear; the traditional explanation, dating to the 14th century, is that "thim" means "dissolve" and "phu" denotes "high ground" to express the meaning of "dissolving high ground," in reference to a local deity that dissolved before a traveler's eyes, becoming a part of the rock on which the present city stands
Administrative divisions: 20 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Dagana, Gasa, Haa, Lhuentse, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatshel, Punakha, Samdrup Jongkhar, Samtse, Sarpang, Thimphu, Trashigang, Trashi Yangtse, Trongsa, Tsirang, Wangdue Phodrang, Zhemgang
Independence: 17 December 1907 (became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary king); 8 August 1949 (Treaty of Friendship with India maintains Bhutanese independence)
National holiday: National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907)
Constitution: history: previous governing documents were various royal decrees; first constitution drafted November 2001 to March 2005, ratified 18 July 2008

amendments: proposed as a motion by simple majority vote in a joint session of Parliament; passage requires at least a three-fourths majority vote in a joint session of the next Parliament and assent by the king
Legal system: civil law based on Buddhist religious law
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 Bhutan

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK (since 14 December 2006); note - King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK abdicated the throne on 14 December 2006 to his son

head of government: Prime Minister Lotay TSHERING (since 7 November 2018)

cabinet: Council of Ministers or Lhengye Zhungtshog members nominated by the monarch in consultation with the prime minister and approved by the National Assembly; members serve 5-year terms

elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary but can be removed by a two-thirds vote of Parliament; leader of the majority party in Parliament is nominated as the prime minister, appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: description: bicameral Parliament or Chi Tshog consists of:
non-partisan National Council or Gyelyong Tshogde (25 seats; 20 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 5 members appointed by the king; members serve 5-year terms)
National Assembly or Tshogdu (47 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies in a two-round majoritarian voting system; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:
National Council election last held on 20 April 2018 (next to be held in 2023)
National Assembly - first round held on 15 September 2018 and second round held on 18 October 2018 (next to be held in 2023)

election results:
National Council - seats by party - independent 20 (all candidates ran as independents); composition - men 23, women 2, percent of women 8%
National Assembly - first round - percent of vote by party - DNT 31.9%, DPT 30.9%, PDP 27.4%, BKP 9.8%; second round - percent of vote by party -  NA; seats by party - DNT 30, DPT 17; composition - men 40, women 7, percent of women 14.9%; note - total Parliament percent of women 12.5%
Judicial branch: highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 associate justices); note - the Supreme Court has sole jurisdiction in constitutional matters

judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the monarch upon the advice of the National Judicial Commission, a 4-member body to include the Legislative Committee of the National Assembly, the attorney general, the Chief Justice of Bhutan and the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; other judges (drangpons) appointed by the monarch from among the High Court judges selected by the National Judicial Commission; chief justice serves a 5-year term or until reaching age 65 years, whichever is earlier; the 4 other judges serve 10-year terms or until age 65, whichever is earlier

subordinate courts: High Court (first appellate court); District or Dzongkhag Courts; sub-district or Dungkhag Courts
Political parties and leaders: Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party or BKP
Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party (Druk Phuensum Tshogpa) or DPT [Dorji WANGDI] (Druk Chirwang Tshogpa or DCT merged with DPT in March 2018)
People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tshering TOBGAY]
United Party of Bhutan (Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa) or DNT [Lotay TSHERING]
International organization participation: ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Doma TSHERING (since 13 September 2017)
note - also the Permanent Representative to the UN

telephone: [1] (212) 682-2268

FAX: [1] (212) 661-0551

email address and website: email - consulate.pmbny@mfa.gov.bt
web address - https://www.mfa.gov.bt/pmbny/

consulate(s) general: New York

embassy: 343 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017

note - the Permanent Mission to the UN for Bhutan has consular jurisdiction in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: none; frequent informal contact is maintained via the US embassy in New Delhi (India) and Bhutan's Permanent Mission to the UN
Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side; the dragon, called the Druk (Thunder Dragon), is the emblem of the nation; its white color stands for purity and the jewels in its claws symbolize wealth; the background colors represent spiritual and secular powers within Bhutan: the orange is associated with Buddhism, while the yellow denotes the ruling dynasty
National symbol(s): thunder dragon known as Druk Gyalpo; national colors: orange, yellow
National anthem: name: "Druk tsendhen" (The Thunder Dragon Kingdom)

lyrics/music: Gyaldun Dasho Thinley DORJI/Aku TONGMI

note: adopted 1953

Topic: Economy
Economic overview: Bhutan's small economy is based largely on hydropower, agriculture, and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than half the population. Because rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive, industrial production is primarily of the cottage industry type. The economy is closely aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links and is dependent on India for financial assistance and migrant laborers for development projects, especially for road construction. Bhutan signed a pact in December 2014 to expand duty-free trade with Bangladesh.   Multilateral development organizations administer most educational, social, and environment programs, and take into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. For example, the government is cautious in its expansion of the tourist sector, restricing visits to environmentally conscientious tourists. Complicated controls and uncertain policies in areas such as industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment.   Bhutan’s largest export - hydropower to India - could spur sustainable growth in the coming years if Bhutan resolves chronic delays in construction. Bhutan’s hydropower exports comprise 40% of total exports and 25% of the government’s total revenue. Bhutan currently taps only 6.5% of its 24,000-megawatt hydropower potential and is behind schedule in building 12 new hydropower dams with a combined capacity of 10,000 megawatts by 2020 in accordance with a deal signed in 2008 with India. The high volume of imported materials to build hydropower plants has expanded Bhutan's trade and current account deficits. Bhutan also signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh and India in July 2017 to jointly construct a new hydropower plant for exporting electricity to Bangladesh.Bhutan's small economy is based largely on hydropower, agriculture, and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than half the population. Because rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive, industrial production is primarily of the cottage industry type. The economy is closely aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links and is dependent on India for financial assistance and migrant laborers for development projects, especially for road construction. Bhutan signed a pact in December 2014 to expand duty-free trade with Bangladesh. Multilateral development organizations administer most educational, social, and environment programs, and take into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. For example, the government is cautious in its expansion of the tourist sector, restricing visits to environmentally conscientious tourists. Complicated controls and uncertain policies in areas such as industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. Bhutan’s largest export - hydropower to India - could spur sustainable growth in the coming years if Bhutan resolves chronic delays in construction. Bhutan’s hydropower exports comprise 40% of total exports and 25% of the government’s total revenue. Bhutan currently taps only 6.5% of its 24,000-megawatt hydropower potential and is behind schedule in building 12 new hydropower dams with a combined capacity of 10,000 megawatts by 2020 in accordance with a deal signed in 2008 with India. The high volume of imported materials to build hydropower plants has expanded Bhutan's trade and current account deficits. Bhutan also signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh and India in July 2017 to jointly construct a new hydropower plant for exporting electricity to Bangladesh.
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.42 billion (2020 est.)

$9.03 billion (2019 est.)

$8.56 billion (2018 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real GDP growth rate: 7.4% (2017 est.)

7.3% (2016 est.)

6.2% (2015 est.)
Real GDP per capita: $10,900 (2020 est.)

$11,800 (2019 est.)

$11,300 (2018 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate): $2.405 billion (2017 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (2017 est.)

7.6% (2016 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 16.2% (2017 est.)

industry: 41.8% (2017 est.)

services: 42% (2017 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 58% (2017 est.)

government consumption: 16.8% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 47.2% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)

exports of goods and services: 26% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services: -48% (2017 est.)
Agricultural products: milk, rice, maize, potatoes, roots/tubers, oranges, areca nuts, chillies/peppers, spices, ginger
Industries: cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 6.3% (2017 est.)
Labor force: 397,900 (2017 est.)

note: major shortage of skilled labor
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 58%

industry: 20%

services: 22% (2015 est.)
Unemployment rate: 3.2% (2017 est.)

3.2% (2016 est.)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: total: 10.7%

male: 8.2%

female: 12.7% (2015 est.)
Population below poverty line: 8.2% (2017 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: 37.4 (2017 est.)

38.1 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8%

highest 10%: 30.6% (2012)
Budget: revenues: 655.3 million (2017 est.)

expenditures: 737.4 million (2017 est.)

note: the Government of India finances nearly one-quarter of Bhutan's budget expenditures
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): -3.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Public debt: 106.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

114.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
Taxes and other revenues: 27.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Current account balance: -$547 million (2017 est.)

-$621 million (2016 est.)
Exports: $790 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$780 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$790 million (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Exports - partners: India 94% (2019)
Exports - commodities: iron alloys, dolomite, refined iron, cement, silicon carbides (2019)
Imports: $1.19 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.23 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.25 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Imports - partners: India 85%, Thailand 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities: refined petroleum, iron products, delivery trucks, cars, wood charcoal (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.206 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$1.127 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Debt - external: $2.671 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$2.355 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Exchange rates: ngultrum (BTN) per US dollar -

64.97 (2017 est.)

67.2 (2016 est.)

67.2 (2015 est.)

64.15 (2014 est.)

61.03 (2013 est.)

Topic: Energy
Electricity access: electrification - total population: 100% (2020)
Electricity: installed generating capacity: 2.334 million kW (2020 est.)

consumption: 4,314,890,000 kWh (2019 est.)

exports: 4.6 billion kWh (2019 est.)

imports: 22.85 million kWh (2019 est.)

transmission/distribution losses: 60 million kWh (2019 est.)
Electricity generation sources: fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity: 100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Coal: production: 174,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption: 211,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports: 37,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum: total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 4,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 barrels/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 barrels/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Refined petroleum products - exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports: 3,120 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Natural gas: production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 934,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke: 328,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids: 606,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: 100.135 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Topic: Communications
Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 22,987 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2020 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions: 745,137 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 97 (2020 est.)
Telecommunication systems: general assessment: the small land-locked Kingdom of Bhutan has only recently emerged from decades of isolation from the modern world; that, and its mountainous terrain, left the country far back in the field in terms of teledensity as well as access to the Internet; over the last decade, the country has undergone a significant transformation due to the opening of its borders, liberalization of its telecom sector, and the active support from the government towards increased competition in the mobile, broadband, and ISP segments; a lack of investment in fixed-line infrastructure over the years by the national (state-owned) telco Bhutan Telecom means that fixed-line telephony and fixed broadband subscripotions will forever stay low (estimated to be 3.0% and 0.4%, respectively, in 2021); the relatively widespread availability of the mobile platform has caused an explosion in mobile broadband subscriber numbers, growing from zero to over 100% penetration in just ten years (between 2010 and 2019).; the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in 2020 caused the subscription rates to drop back a little – even though Bhutan has successfully managed to keep its case numbers and mortality very low; growth is projected to return in 2022 (along with the broader mobile market) as the overall economy recovers; the government opens up more to foreign investment, trade, and tourism; and network expansion continues – the recent (December 2021) launch of 5G services by both of the country’s mobile operators being particularly noteworthy (2022)

domestic: approximately 3 to 100 fixed-line and 97 to 100 mobile cellular; domestic service inadequate, notably in rural areas (2020)

international: country code - 975; international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

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 towards 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: state-owned TV station established in 1999; cable TV service offers dozens of Indian and other international channels; first radio station, privately launched in 1973, is now state-owned; 5 private radio stations are currently broadcasting (2012)
Internet country code: .bt
Internet users: total: 416,671 (2020 est.)

percent of population: 54% (2020 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 3,189 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.4 (2020 est.)

Topic: Transportation
National air transport system: number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 275,849 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 690,000 (2018) mt-km
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: A5
Airports: total: 2 (2021)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2021)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2012)
Roadways: total: 12,205 km (2017)

urban: 437 km (2017)

Topic: Military and Security
Military and security forces: Royal Bhutan Army (includes Royal Bodyguard and an air wing); National Militia; Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs: Royal Bhutan Police (2022)

note: the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) agency is responsible for internal security; the Army is responsible for external threats but also has responsibility for some internal security functions, including conducting counterinsurgency operations, guarding forests, and providing security for prominent persons
Military and security service personnel strengths: the Royal Bhutan Army has an estimated 8,000 personnel (2022)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions: India has provided most of the Royal Bhutan Army's equipment (2022)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; militia training is compulsory for males aged 20-25, over a 3-year period; in 2021, the Royal Bhutan Army graduated from a year-long training course the first batch of 150 women to be allowed to serve in combat roles; previously, women were allowed to serve in medical and other non-combat roles (2022)
Military - note: India is responsible for military training, arms supplies, and the air defense of Bhutan (2022)

Topic: Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Bhutan-China: Lacking any treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve territorial disputes arising from substantial cartographic discrepancies, the most contentious of which lie in Bhutan's west along China’s Chumbi salient.

Bhutan-India: none identifiedBhutan-China: Lacking any treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve territorial disputes arising from substantial cartographic discrepancies, the most contentious of which lie in Bhutan's west along China’s Chumbi salient.

Bhutan-India: none identified
Trafficking in persons: current situation: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Bhutan and Bhutanese abroad; some traffickers posing as recruiters use the lure of well-paying jobs overseas to exploit Bhutanese citizens for forced labor; some Bhutanese working in hospitality, retail, and service industries in the Gulf states and India, Thailand, and the UK reported trafficking indicators, including illegal recruitment fees, wage deductions, restricted movement, passport retention, and non-payment of wages; Bhutanese women and girls working as domestics, caregivers, and entertainers are subject to sex and labor trafficking domestically; Bhutanese and Indian women may be forced to work in hotels, massage parlors, and nightclubs, while male Indian workers face unauthorized deductions and non-payment of wages in the construction and hydropower sectors

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Bhutan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; among its accomplishments, Bhutan convicted one trafficker, appealed the dismissal of trafficking charges in a second case, finalized and disseminated standard operating procedures for victim identification and referral, and initiated an investigation into reports of labor exploitation; the government also continued to work with an international organization on anti-trafficking training and public awareness events; however, Bhutanese courts continued to dismiss and refile on lesser charges human trafficking cases due to inconsistencies between Bhutanese law and the international definition of trafficking; additionally, authorities did not identify any trafficking victims during the reporting period and did not provide protective services to Bhutanese victims of forced labor abroad (2020)Tier 2 Watch List — Bhutan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; among its accomplishments, Bhutan convicted one trafficker, appealed the dismissal of trafficking charges in a second case, finalized and disseminated standard operating procedures for victim identification and referral, and initiated an investigation into reports of labor exploitation; the government also continued to work with an international organization on anti-trafficking training and public awareness events; however, Bhutanese courts continued to dismiss and refile on lesser charges human trafficking cases due to inconsistencies between Bhutanese law and the international definition of trafficking; additionally, authorities did not identify any trafficking victims during the reporting period and did not provide protective services to Bhutanese victims of forced labor abroad (2020)