Region: Caribbean

Capital: Kingstown

Population: 118,432 (July 2008 est.)

Surface area: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

GDP per capita: Purchasing power parity US $9,800 (2007 est.)

Background:
Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on St. Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. 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.

Economy – Overview
Economic growth slowed slightly in 2007 after reaching a 10 year high of nearly 7% in 2006, but is expected to remain robust, hinging upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors and a recent increase in construction activity. This lower-middle-income country is vulnerable to natural disasters - tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002. In 2007, the islands had more than 200,000 tourist arrivals, mostly to the Grenadines. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. The government's ability to invest in social programs and respond to external shocks is constrained by its high debt burden - 25 percent of current revenues are directed towards debt servicing.

Major Export Commodities: bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch; tennis racquets

Remittances: US $3 million (2006)

Human Development Index 2007/2008 ranking: 93 out of 177

Official Development Assistance and Major Development Partners: Net ODA in 2006 was US $2.26 million. Major development partners include Japan, the European Community, Canada, and France.

Total External Debt: US $223 million (2004)

United Nations membership date: 16 September 1980

New York Mission:
Permanent Mission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations
800 Second Avenue, Suite 400G
New York, N.Y. 10017 USA
Telephone: 212-599-0950, -0955
Fax: 212-599-1020

Website: http://www.svg-un.org

Sources:

CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. www.cia.gov 

World Development Indicators. World Bank www.worldbank.org

Development, Recipient Aid Charts. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. www.oecd.org

Human Development Report 2007/2008.United Nations Development Programme. www.undp.org

Updated June 2008