Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
One of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with its own parliament and government. Defense, foreign affairs and nationality are matters for the Kingdom.
National Identity
- Official name
- Country of Curaçao
- Official name (in Papiamento)
- Pais Kòrsou
- Official name (in Dutch)
- Land Curaçao
- Name etymology
the origin of the name is disputed; many historians now agree that the name derives from a similar-sounding word the original inhabitants used to describe themselves
Sources:- Article 1 - Constitution of Curaçao ↗ - Ministry of Finance
- The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
- Coat of arms
- National flag
- National anthem
- Himno di Kòrsou1:34
- Title (in Papiamento)
- Himno di Kòrsou
- Title (in English, translated)
- Anthem of Curaçao
- Lyrics
1Lantá nos bos ban kanta grandesa di Kòrsou; Kòrsou isla chikitu, Baranka den laman!
Kòrsou nos ta stima bo ariba tur nashon. Bo Gloria nos ta kanta di henter nos kurason.
2Nos pueblo tin su lucha, ma semper nos tin fe di logra den tur tempu viktoria ku trabou!
Ban duna di nos parti p’e isla prosperá. Laga nos uni forsa p’asina truinfá.
3Nos patria nos ta demostrá Honor i lealtat, meskos na e bandera union di nos nashon.
Nos bida lo ta poko pa duna nos pais, luchando uní pa libertat, amor i komprenshon.
4I ora nos ta leu fo’i kas nos tur ta rekordá Kòrsou su solo i playanan, orguyo di nos tur.
Laga nos gloria Kreadó tur tempu i sin fin, k’El a hasi nos digno di ta yu di Kòrsou!
Source: - Citizens
- Curacaoans
- Official name:Article 1 - Constitution of Curaçao ↗ - Ministry of Finance
- Official name, Citizens:The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
- National anthem:nationalanthems.info ↗
Geography
- Location
- Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea, 55 km off the coast of Venezuela
- Total area
- 444 km²
- Land area
- 444 km²
- Water area
- 0.00 km²
- Land borders
- None
- Coastline
- 364 km
- Terrain
Generally low, hilly terrain - Highest point
- 372 mMt. Christoffel
- Lowest point
- 0 mCaribbean Sea
- Climate
Tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 60 cm/year - Avg. temperature
- 26.7 °C
- Avg. daily range
- 26.1 to 27.1 °C
- Annual precipitation
- 861 mm
Temperature °CMeanDaily rangePrecipitation mmMonthly climate normals Month Avg. high, °C Mean, °C Avg. low, °C Precipitation, mm January 26.2 25.8 25.2 57 February 26 25.6 25.1 31 March 26.1 25.7 25.3 28 April 26.6 26.2 25.8 40 May 27.1 26.8 26.3 48 June 27.4 27 26.4 57 July 27.4 26.9 26.3 61 August 27.9 27.5 26.8 61 September 28.3 27.8 27 84 October 28.1 27.5 26.7 132 November 27.6 26.9 26.1 167 December 26.9 26.3 25.7 96 Country-wide averages over 1991–2020.
Sources:- The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
- Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Weather
- Loading
- Land use2023
- Forest0.2%Other99.8%
- Forest
- 70 hectares (0.2%)
- Other land
- 44,330 hectares (99.8%)
Source:
- Location, Land borders, Coastline, Terrain, Highest point, Lowest point, Climate:The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
- Climate:Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Land use:FAOSTAT Land Use domain ↗ - FAO
Demographics
- Population change2026
- −0.03% per year−47 people/yearWorld Rank175thof 237
- Birth rate
- 7.6 per 1,000 population
- Death rate
- 10.4 per 1,000 population
- Net migration rate
- +2.5 per 1,000 population
- 2026
- 39.0 yearsWorld Rank75thof 237
- Age structure2026
- 0-14 years14.2%15-64 years67.9%65 years +17.8%
- Share aged 65 and over
- 17.8%
- Share aged under 18
- 17.7%
- Total dependency ratio
- 47
- Youth dependency ratio
- 21
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 26
- Sex ratio
- 0.91 male / female
MaleAgeFemalePopulation by age group, % of total population Age Male Female 80+ 0.9% 2.4% 70-79 3.2% 5.2% 60-69 5.5% 7.6% 50-59 5.8% 7.2% 40-49 5.9% 6.3% 30-39 8.5% 7.3% 20-29 7.7% 6.6% 10-19 6.0% 5.8% 0-9 4.2% 4.0% - 2026
- 1.03 below the replacement level for Curaçao ()1.07 births per womanreplacement 2.10123World Rank226thof 237
- 0.52 daughters per woman0.48 below replacement, long-run each generation smaller than the lastreplacement 1.000.511.5
- 2026
- −2.8 per 1,000 populationfor every 1,000 people, 2.8 more deaths than births a year
- 2026
- +2.5 per 1,000 population
- Urbanization2026
- 91.5% live in cities169,729 urban residents
- Largest places2011latest available
- Willemstad, Barber, Tera Cora, SotoRankPlacePopulation (2011 census)1Willemstad136,6602Barber4,3853Tera Cora3,5474Soto2,5985Grote Berg8416Westpunt7387Sint Willibrordus5888Lagun321Source:
- Central Bureau of Statistics, Netherlands Antilles (2011 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution
- Largest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest.
- Ethnic groups2011
- Curacaoan75.4%Dutch6.0%Dominican3.6%Colombian3.0%Bonairean, Sint Eustatian, Saban1.5%Haitian1.2%Surinamese1.2%Venezuelan1.1%Aruban1.1%Other5.0%Unspecified0.9%
- Religions2011
- Roman Catholic72.8%Pentecostal6.6%Protestant3.2%Adventist3.0%Jehovah's Witness2.0%Evangelical1.9%Other3.8%None6.0%Unspecified0.6%
- Languages
- Papiamento (Papiamentu), Dutch (Nederlands), English
- Population, Population change, Median age, Age structure, Total fertility rate, Net reproduction rate, Natural change, Net migration rate:UN World Population Prospects ↗
- Urbanization:UN World Urbanization Prospects ↗
- Largest cities:Central Bureau of Statistics, Netherlands Antilles (2011 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution, Ethnic groups, Religions:The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
Government & Administration
- Form of state
- Constitutional monarchyShared with the Netherlands: the monarch of the Netherlands is head of state.An autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands with its own constitution; the government is formed by the King and the ministers, and the King is represented by the Governor (Preamble; Art. 28).Source:
- Staatsregeling van Curaçao ↗, Preamble; Art. 28
- System of government
- ParliamentaryThe minister-president and ministers are appointed by national decree without investiture; ministers are responsible to the Staten (parliament) and must offer their resignation on losing its confidence, and the Staten may be dissolved by national decree (Arts. 28, 29, 53).Source:
- Staatsregeling van Curaçao ↗, Arts. 28, 29, 53
- Official websites
- Government (in Papiamentu)
- Governor (in Dutch)
- Capital
- Willemstad136,660 people(2011)
- National holidays
- 12 days in 2026
- ThuJan 1New Year's Day
- MonFeb 16Carnival Monday
- FriApr 3Good Friday
- SunApr 5Easter Sunday
- MonApr 6Easter Monday
- MonApr 27King's Day
- FriMay 1Labor Day
- ThuMay 14Ascension Day
- ThuJul 2National Anthem and Flag Day
- SatOct 10Curaçao Day
- FriDec 25Christmas Day
- SatDec 26Second Day of Christmas
Nationwide public holidays only, excluding regional, bank and government-only days.
- Time
- ASTAtlantic Standard TimeUTC−4
- Currency
- Caribbean guilder (XCG)
- Entry requirements
- Official visa and entry information
- Calling code
- +599
- Internet TLD
- .cw
- ISO 3166-1 codes
- CW, CUW
- Infrastructure
- Aircraft registration prefix
- PJ
Source:- The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
- Form of state, System of government:Staatsregeling van Curaçao ↗ - Ministry of Finance of Curaçao
- National holidays:Open World Holidays Framework (vacanza/holidays) ↗
- Infrastructure:The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
- Infrastructure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
Economy
- High income
- 2024
- Services72.3% of GDPIndustry12.2% of GDPAgriculture0.3% of GDPManufacturing2.9%part of industry
- Households
- +73.2%
- Government
- +14.5%
- Investment
- +41.1%
- Exports
- +63.2%
- Imports
- −92%
The shape of the economyGDP by end useSource:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Trade2023
- Goods$560.2 million26.6%
- Services$1.5 billion73.4%
- Total exports
- $2.1 billion
- Change from 2022
- up 2.9 percent on the previous year2.9%
Sources:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
- Industries
- tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment, light manufacturing, financial and business services
- Income level, GDP by sector, Trade:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Trade, Industries:The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
Cost of Living
- Average gross salary2018
- Cg. 2,675 per month$1,494 (USD), $1,791 (PPP)
- Men
- Cg. 2,909 per month($1,625)
- Women
- Cg. 2,471 per month($1,380)
Source:- ILOSTAT ↗ - International Labour Organization
- Average gross salary:ILOSTAT ↗ - International Labour Organization
Society
- Education expenditure2024
- 5.4% of GDP
- Share of government spending
- 16.4%
Source:- World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Internet users2017latest available
- 68.1% of the population
- Households with Internet access
- 55.6%
Source:- ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Mobile subscriptions2017latest available
- 187,184
- Fixed telephone lines
- 61,709
- Fixed broadband
- 29.3 subscriptions per 100 people
Counts subscriptions, not people.
Source:- ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Refugees hosted2025
- 0 people
- Refugees from Curaçao abroad
- 8
Source:- Refugee Data Finder ↗ - UN Refugee Agency
- Inbound tourists2022
- Official tourism site489,600 arrivalsup 6% against 20196% above 2019World Rank103rdof 139
- Per resident
- 2.6 arrivals per resident
- Same-day visitors
- 544,600 arrivals
- $1 billion(2023)
- $555.1 million(2023)
- Average hotel stay
- 8.5 nights
Overnight arrivals by year2010 to 2022A tourist stays at least one night. Arrivals count trips, not people.
Source:- UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- 1 site1 cultural
Site Historic Willemstad Source:- The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
- Education expenditure:World Development Indicators ↗ - World Bank
- Internet users, Mobile subscriptions:ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Refugees hosted:Refugee Data Finder ↗ - UN Refugee Agency
- Inbound tourists:UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites:The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
Crime & Safety
- Travel advisory (US)
- Loading
- Prison population2022
- 231.5 per 100,000 people
- Persons held
- 429
Source:- UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- Prison population:UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
Health
- Life expectancy2026
- 77.3 years
- Infant mortality2026
- 7.8 per 1,000 live births
- Life expectancy, Infant mortality:UN World Population Prospects ↗
Environment
- CO₂ emissions2024
- 2.39 Mt per yearup 3.7 percent on the previous year3.7% from 2023
- CO₂ per capita
- 14.3 t per personWorld Rank14thof 207
- Share of global CO₂
- 0.01%
- Methane (CH₄)
- 0.05 Mt CO₂-eq
- Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
- 0.05 Mt CO₂-eq
- All greenhouse gases
- 2.49 Mt CO₂-eq
Source:- Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) ↗ - European Commission, Joint Research Centre
- 2024
- 6.7 µg/m³ of PM2.50.2 years of life expectancy lost against the WHO guidelineMost polluted170thof 236
- WHO guideline
- 5 µg/m³
Source:- Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues
- waste management, including pollution of marine areas from domestic sewage, inadequate sewage treatment facilities, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, mismanagement of toxic substances, and ineffective regulations
- damage from neglect and a lack of controls at major refinery
- International agreements
- 0 of 20 landmark treaties in forceParty to 4 multilateral environmental agreements
Treaty Standing Joined Climate Paris Agreement not a party UN Framework Convention on Climate Change not a party Kyoto Protocol not a party Ozone layer Montreal Protocol not a party Vienna Convention (Ozone Layer) not a party Biodiversity Convention on Biological Diversity not a party CITES not a party Convention on Migratory Species (Bonn) not a party Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety not a party Nagoya Protocol not a party Land and heritage Ramsar Convention on Wetlands not a party World Heritage Convention not a party UN Convention to Combat Desertification not a party Chemicals and waste Basel Convention not a party Rotterdam Convention (PIC) not a party Stockholm Convention (POPs) not a party Minamata Convention on Mercury not a party Oceans UN Convention on the Law of the Sea not a party High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) not a party MARPOL 73/78 not a party Source:- International Environmental Agreements Database ↗ - Université Laval
- CO₂ emissions:Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) ↗ - European Commission, Joint Research Centre
- Air pollution:Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues:The World Factbook: Curaçao - CIA
- International agreements:International Environmental Agreements Database ↗ - Université Laval