| variable | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2007 | 2008-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| real gdp growth | 5.85 | 3.77 | 4.6 | -9.9 | 0.23 | 8.17 | 9.11 | 2.43 | 4.31 | 3.05 |
| CPI % | 4.47 | 2.74 | 2.38 | 1.41 | 1.56 | 1.63 | 7.53 | 5.07 | 6.36 | 3.52 |
| Debt/GDP % | 94.13 | 90.05 | 92.52 | 84.27 | 86.51 | 92.95 | 82.03 | 76.33 | 67.06 | 63.41 |
| Current account balance/GDP % | - | - | - | - | -6.31 | -17.78 | -15.63 | -13.51 | -7.01 | -10.49 |
Data derived from World Economic Outlook Database. To see main macroeconomic indicator in graphs click here
The Siboney were the first people to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but the Arawaks populated the islands when Christopher COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early Spanish and French settlements were succeeded by an English colony in 1667. Slavery, which provided labor on the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. In 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Barbuda, devastating the island and forcing the evacuation of the population to Antigua. Almost all of the structures on Barbuda were destroyed and the vegetation stripped, but Antigua was spared the worst.
Area: 443 km2
Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Natural resources: None
Groups: African descent 87.3%, mixed 4.7%, Hispanic 2.7%, White 1.6%, other 2.7%, unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)note: data represent population by ethnic group
Languages: English (official), Antiguan Creole (an English-based creole)
Religions: Protestant 68.3% (Anglican 17.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.4%, Pentecostal 12.2%, Moravian 8.3%, Methodist 5.6%, Wesleyan Holiness 4.5%, Church of God 4.1%, Baptist 3.6%), Roman Catholic 8.2%, other 12.2%, unspecified 5.5%, none 5.9% (2011 est.)
Capital: Saint John's
Government type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Rodney WILLIAMS (since 14 August 2014)
Head of government: Prime Minister Gaston BROWNE (since 13 June 2014)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime ministerelection/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the governor general usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister
Description: legislature name: Parliamentlegislative structure: bicameral
Information derived by "The World Factbook 2021. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2021. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/"