British Overseas Territory
Territory under British sovereignty that does not form part of the United Kingdom. It has its own constitution and government; the United Kingdom is responsible for defense and external relations.
Listed by the United Nations as a Non-Self-Governing Territory.
National Identity
- Official name
- Montserrat
- Name etymology
explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in 1493 after the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat, near Barcelona, Spain
Sources:- Constitution of Montserrat ↗ - Government of Montserrat
- The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
- Coat of arms
- National flag
- National anthem
- God Save the KingThe national anthem of the United Kingdom.1:03
- Title
- God Save the King
- Lyrics
- English
1God save our gracious King, Long live our noble King, God save the King: Send him victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the King.
2O Lord, our God, arise, Scatter his enemies, And make them fall. Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On Thee our hopes we fix, God save us all.
3Thy choicest gifts in store, On him be pleased to pour; Long may he reign: May he defend our laws, And ever give us cause With heart and voice to sing God save the King
Source: - Citizens
- Montserratians
- Official name:Constitution of Montserrat ↗ - Government of Montserrat
- Official name, Citizens:The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
- National anthem:nationalanthems.info ↗
Geography
- Location
- Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
- Total area
- 102 km²
- Land area
- 102 km²
- Water area
- 0.00 km²
- Land borders
- None
- Coastline
- 40 km
- Terrain
Volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland - Climate
Tropical little daily or seasonal temperature variation - Avg. temperature
- 26.2 °C
- Avg. daily range
- 25.5 to 26.8 °C
- Annual precipitation
- 889 mm
Temperature °CMeanDaily rangePrecipitation mmMonthly climate normals Month Avg. high, °C Mean, °C Avg. low, °C Precipitation, mm January 25.7 25.1 24.5 47 February 25.4 24.9 24.2 32 March 25.5 24.9 24.3 29 April 26.1 25.5 24.9 41 May 26.9 26.3 25.6 65 June 27.4 26.9 26.2 53 July 27.6 27 26.2 83 August 27.9 27.3 26.4 100 September 28 27.4 26.4 127 October 27.8 27.1 26.2 133 November 27.2 26.5 25.7 108 December 26.4 25.8 25 71 Country-wide averages over 1991–2020.
Sources:- The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
- Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Weather
- Loading
- Land use2023
- Arable20.0%Pasture10.0%Forest24.2%Other45.8%
- Arable land
- 2,000 hectares (20.0%)
- Permanent meadows & pastures
- 1,000 hectares (10.0%)
- Forest
- 2,420 hectares (24.2%)
- Other land
- 4,580 hectares (45.8%)
Source:
- Location, Land borders, Coastline, Terrain, Climate:The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
- Climate:Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5 reanalysis) ↗ - World Bank
- Land use:FAOSTAT Land Use domain ↗ - FAO
Demographics
- Population change2026
- −0.71% per year−31 people/yearWorld Rank216thof 237
- Birth rate
- 8.4 per 1,000 population
- Death rate
- 13.6 per 1,000 population
- Net migration rate
- −2.3 per 1,000 population
- 2026
- 41.8 yearsWorld Rank47thof 237
- Age structure2026
- 0-14 years15.5%15-64 years64.4%65 years +20.1%
- Share aged 65 and over
- 20.1%
- Share aged under 18
- 19.7%
- Total dependency ratio
- 55
- Youth dependency ratio
- 24
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 31
- Sex ratio
- 0.99 male / female
MaleAgeFemalePopulation by age group, % of total population Age Male Female 80+ 1.7% 2.4% 70-79 5.5% 4.5% 60-69 6.9% 6.3% 50-59 7.0% 7.0% 40-49 6.2% 7.1% 30-39 6.3% 7.1% 20-29 5.4% 4.9% 10-19 5.8% 6.0% 0-9 5.0% 5.4% - 2026
- 0.65 below the replacement level for Montserrat ()1.45 births per womanreplacement 2.10123World Rank182ndof 237
- 0.70 daughters per woman0.30 below replacement, long-run each generation smaller than the lastreplacement 1.000.511.5
- 2026
- −5.2 per 1,000 populationfor every 1,000 people, 5.2 more deaths than births a year
- 2026
- −2.3 per 1,000 population
- Urbanization2026
- 9.0% live in cities389 urban residents
- Largest villages2018latest available
- Look Out, Davy Hill, St. John's, BradesRankVillagePopulation (2018 census)1Look Out6962Davy Hill4103St. John's4054Brades3935St. Peter's3806Olveston3247Salem3208Woodlands2429Baker Hill21110Barzeys208Source:
- Statistics Department, Montserrat (2018 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution
- Only the northern half of the island is populated; the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity.
- Ethnic groups2018
- African/Black86.2%Mixed4.8%Hispanic/Spanish3.0%Caucasian/White2.7%East Indian/Indian1.6%Other1.8%
- Religions2018
- Protestant71.4%Roman Catholic11.4%Rastafarian1.4%Hindu1.2%Jehovah's Witness1.0%Muslim0.4%Other/not stated5.1%None7.9%
- Protestant
- 71.4%
- Anglican
- 17.7%
- Pentecostal/Full Gospel
- 16.1%
- Seventh Day Adventist
- 15.0%
- Methodist
- 13.9%
- Church of God
- 6.7%
- Other Protestant
- 2.0%
Source:- The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
- Languages
- 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:Statistics Department, Montserrat (2018 census), via City Population by Thomas Brinkhoff ↗
- Population distribution, Ethnic groups, Religions:The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
Government & Administration
- Form of state
- Constitutional monarchyShared with the United Kingdom: the British monarch is head of state.A territory constituted by an Order in Council under the West Indies Act 1962; the Sovereign forms part of the Legislature and is represented by a Governor appointed at the Sovereign's pleasure and bound by the Sovereign's instructions (ss. 22, 47).
- System of government
- ParliamentaryThe Governor appoints as Premier the elected member commanding a majority of elected members; the Cabinet is collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly, and the Governor dissolves it after merely consulting the Premier (ss. 32, 33, 67).
- Official websites
- Capital
- BradesDe facto111 people(2011)PlymouthDe jure0 people(2011)
- National holidays
- 13 days in 2026
- ThuJan 1New Year's Day
- TueMar 17Saint Patrick's Day
- FriApr 3Good Friday
- MonApr 6Easter Monday
- MonMay 4Labor Day
- MonMay 25Pentecost Monday
- MonJun 15King's Birthday
- WedJul 8Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving
- MonAug 3Emancipation Day
- FriDec 25Christmas Day
- SatDec 26Boxing Day
- MonDec 28Boxing Day (observed)
- ThuDec 31Festival Day
Nationwide public holidays only, excluding regional, bank and government-only days.
- Time
- ASTAtlantic Standard TimeUTC−4
- Currency
- East Caribbean Dollar (XCD)
- Entry requirements
- Official visa and entry information
- Calling code
- +1-664
- Internet TLD
- .ms
- ISO 3166-1 codes
- MS, MSR
- Infrastructure
- Aircraft registration prefix
- VP-M
Source:- The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
- Form of state, System of government:The Montserrat Constitution Order 2010 (S.I. 2010 No. 2474), The Constitution of Montserrat ↗ - The National Archives (United Kingdom)
- National holidays:Open World Holidays Framework (vacanza/holidays) ↗
- Infrastructure:The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
Economy
- Trade2023
- United States25%
- Antigua and Barbuda13%
- Guyana13%
- Egypt12%
- France10%
Source:- The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
- Industries
- tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances
- Trade, Industries:The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
Cost of Living
Society
- Mobile subscriptions2022
- 5,023
- Fixed telephone lines
- 2,986
Counts subscriptions, not people.
Source:- ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Inbound tourists2021latest available
- 1,600 arrivalsdown 85% against 201985% below 2019Official tourism site
- Per resident
- 3.6 arrivals per 10 residents
- Same-day visitors
- 3,100 arrivals(2020, latest available)
- $18.7 million(2024)
- 0.5% tourism direct GDP
- $8.3 million(2024)
Overnight arrivals by year2010 to 2021A tourist stays at least one night. Arrivals count trips, not people.
Source:- UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
- Mobile subscriptions:ITU DataHub ↗ - International Telecommunication Union
- Inbound tourists:UN Tourism Data Dashboard ↗ - UN Tourism
Crime & Safety
- Travel advisory (US)
- Loading
- Homicide rate2018
- 0 per 100,000 peopleVery low by global standards
- Crime rates
- 1 offence category
Offence Per 100,000 Count Year Homicide (victims) 0.0 0 2018 A low figure can also mean weak recording.
Source:- UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- Homicide rate, Crime rates:UNODC Data Portal ↗ - UN Office on Drugs and Crime
Health
- Life expectancy2026
- 76.7 years
- Infant mortality2026
- 4.9 per 1,000 live births
- Life expectancy, Infant mortality:UN World Population Prospects ↗
Environment
- 2024
- 3.3 µg/m³ of PM2.5Most polluted202ndof 236
- WHO guideline
- 5 µg/m³
Source:- Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues
- land erosion on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation
- International agreements
- 1 of 20 landmark treaties in forceParty to 5 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 in force 1997 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
- Air pollution:Air Quality Life Index ↗ - Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
- Environmental issues:The World Factbook: Montserrat - CIA
- International agreements:International Environmental Agreements Database ↗ - Université Laval
Food & Water
Energy
- Energy consumption2024
- Per capita
- 153.9 GJ per person
- Share of world total
- < 0.01%
- Supply
- No meaningful productionproduces under 2% of what it consumes, 2024
Source:- International Energy Statistics ↗ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Electricity2024
- No electricity trade0 TWh generated per year
- Generation
- 0 TWh per year
- Consumption
- 0 TWh per year
Source:- International Energy Statistics ↗ - U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Oil, gas & coal
- No domestic productionconsumes 335 b/d in 2024Consumption2024335 b/d
Oil imports and exports count crude oil only.
- Energy consumption, Electricity, Oil, gas & coal:International Energy Statistics ↗ - U.S. Energy Information Administration