Antigua and Barbuda

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.

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico

17 03 N, 61 48 W

Central America and the Caribbean

2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

153 km

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas

NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism

1.3 sq km (2012)

the island of Antigua is home to approximately 97% of the population; nearly the entire population of Barbuda lives in Codrington

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts

Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor

African descent 87.3%, mixed 4.7%, Hispanic 2.7%, White 1.6%, other 2.7%, unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)

English (official), Antiguan Creole (an English-based creole)

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.)

1.09% (2025 est.)

14.7 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.77 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

the island of Antigua is home to approximately 97% of the population; nearly the entire population of Barbuda lives in Codrington

21,000 SAINT JOHN'S (capital) (2018)

35 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.92 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.94 (2025 est.)

2.92 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

3.3 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

18.9% (2016)

limited natural freshwater resources; water management hampered by tree-clearing to increase crop production, causing rapid rainfall runoff

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

8.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

52 million cubic meters (2022)

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip

common law based on the English model

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Antigua Labor Party or ABLP<br>Barbuda People's Movement or BPM<br>Democratic National Alliance or DNA<br>Go Green for Life or GGL<br>United Progressive Party or UPP

ACP, ACS, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

1 November 1981 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 1 November (1981)

<strong>description:</strong> red, with an inverted isosceles triangle in the center that spans the flag from top to bottom; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band<br><br><strong>meaning: </strong>the sun stands for the dawn of a new era, black for the African heritage of most of the population, blue for hope, and red for the dynamism of the people; the "V" shape of the triangle stands for victory; the yellow, blue, and white colors are also meant to evoke the country's tourist attractions of sun, sea, and sand

fallow deer

red, white, blue, black, yellow

dual island-tourism and construction-driven economy; emerging &ldquo;blue economy&rdquo;; limited water supply and susceptibility to hurricanes limit activity; improving road infrastructure; friendly to foreign direct investment; looking at financial innovation in cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies

$2.225 billion (2024 est.)

tropical fruits, milk, mangoes/guavas, eggs, lemons/limes, pumpkins/squash, sweet potatoes, vegetables, cucumbers/gherkins, yams (2023)

tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)

1% (2023 est.)

Suriname 29%, Poland 21%, USA 8%, Dominican Republic 7%, Australia 5% (2023)

refined petroleum, ships, soybean meal, shellfish, paintings (2023)

USA 43%, Poland 6%, China 5%, UK 4%, Germany 4% (2023)

ships, refined petroleum, cars, plastic products, furniture (2023)

state-controlled Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service (ABS) operates 1 TV station; multi-channel cable TV subscription services are available; ABS operates 1 radio station; roughly 20 radio stations (2024)

.ag

V2

4 (2025)

2 (2025)

Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (ABDF): Antigua and Barbuda Regiment, Air Wing, Coast Guard<br><br>Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB) (2025)

approximately 300 active Defense Force personnel (2025)

the ABDF's equipment inventory is limited to small arms, light weapons, and soft-skin vehicles; the Coast Guard maintains ex-US patrol vessels and some smaller boats (2025)

18-23 years of age for voluntary military service for both men and women; no conscription (2025)

the ABDF’s responsibilities include providing for internal security and support to the police in maintaining law and order, interdicting narcotics smuggling, responding to natural disasters, and monitoring the country’s territorial waters and maritime resources; established in 1981 from colonial forces originally created in 1897, it is one of the world’s smallest militaries<br><br>the country has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since its creation in 1982; RSS signatories (Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security (2025)