Data at glance of Saint Vincent And The Grenadines - average on period

History

Resistance from native Caribs prevented colonization on Saint Vincent until 1719. France and England disputed the island for most of the 18th century, but it was ceded to England in 1783. The British prized Saint Vincent because of its fertile soil, which allowed for thriving slave-run plantations of sugar, coffee, indigo, tobacco, cotton, and cocoa. In 1834, the British abolished slavery. Immigration of indentured servants eased the ensuing labor shortage, as did subsequent immigrant waves from Portugal and East India. Conditions remained harsh for both former slaves and immigrant agricultural workers, however, as depressed world sugar prices kept the economy stagnant until the early 1900s. The economy then went into a period of decline, with many landowners abandoning their estates and leaving the land to be cultivated by liberated slaves. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979. In 2021, the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano in the north of Saint Vincent destroyed much of Saint Vincent’s most productive agricultural lands. Unlike most of its tourism-dependent neighbors, the Vincentian economy is primarily agricultural.

Environment

Area: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km) km2

Climate: tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Natural resources: hydropower, arable land

Ethnic characteristics

Groups: African descent 71.2%, mixed 23%, Indigenous 3%, East Indian/Indian 1.1%, European 1.5%, other 0.2% (2012 est.)

Languages:

Religions: Protestant 75% (Pentecostal 27.6%, Anglican 13.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 11.6%,  Baptist 8.9%, Methodist 8.7%, Evangelical 3.8%, Salvation Army 0.3%, Presbyterian/Congregational 0.3%), Roman Catholic 6.3%,  Rastafarian 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 0.8%, other 4.7%, none 7.5%, unspecified 4.7% (2012 est.)

Government

Capital: Kingstown

Government type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Executive branch

Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Stanley JOHN (since 6 January 2026)

Head of government: Prime Minister Godwin FRIDAY (since 28 November 2025)

Legislative branch

Description: House of Assembly - unicameral

Industries

tourism; food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch

GDP by sector: Agriculture: 3.5% (2024 est.), Industry: 15.4% (2024 est.), Services: 66.4% (2024 est.)

Trade

Export partners: Croatia 16%, Barbados 14%, USA 10%, St. Lucia 10%, St. Kitts & Nevis 8% (2023)

Export commodities: ships, wheat flours, animal food, shellfish, construction vehicles (2023)

Import partners: USA 37%, Italy 7%, Trinidad & Tobago 7%, China 6%, UK 6% (2023)

Import commodities: ships, refined petroleum, wheat, coal, poultry (2023)

Geography

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago