Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Region: Central America and Caribbean

Official language: English

Population: 100,647 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s) (noun), Saint Vincentian or Vincentian (adjective)

Land area: 389 sq km

Capital: Kingstown

National anthem: "St. Vincent! Land So Beautiful!" by Phyllis Joyce McClean Punnett/Joel Bertram Miguel

National holiday: Independence Day, October 27 (1979)

Population growth: –0.15% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC –4

Flag: The flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines features three vertical bands of blue (left), yellow (center), and green (right). The center yellow band is twice the width of the other two bands. Three green lozenges, or diamonds, are centered in the middle yellow band, arranged in a formation. The colors are representative of the island nation’s beauty: blue for the sky and clear waters, yellow for the golden sands, and green for the lush flora.

Motto: “Pax et Justitia” (Peace and Justice)

Independence: October 27, 1979 (from the UK)

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: English common law

The scene of bloody international struggles in the seventeenth century, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is today a peaceful country. Independent since 1979, the country consists of the island of Saint Vincent and the northern part of the Grenadines chain. The southern portion of the one-hundred-island chain is part of Grenada. As a former British colony, the country is part of the Commonwealth of Nations.

• Region: Central America and Caribbean
• Nationality: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s) (noun), Saint Vincentian or Vincentian (adjective)
• Official language: English
• Population: 100,804 (2023 est.)
• Population growth: –0.16% (2023 est.)
• Currency (money): East Caribbean dollar
• Land area: 389 sq km
• Time zone: UTC –4
• Capital: Kingstown
• Flag: The flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines features three vertical bands of blue (left), yellow (center), and green (right). The center yellow band is twice the width of the other two bands. Three green lozenges, or diamonds, are centered in the middle yellow band, arranged in a V formation. The colors are representative of the island nation’s beauty: blue for the sky and clear waters, yellow for the golden sands, and green for the lush flora.
• Motto: “Pax et Justitia” (Peace and Justice)
• Independence: October 27, 1979 (from the UK)
• Government type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal system: English common law
• National anthem: "St. Vincent! Land So Beautiful!" by Phyllis Joyce McClean Punnett/Joel Bertram Miguel
• National holiday: Independence Day, October 27 (1979)

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Just over half of the islands' population—54.3 percent in 2023—lives in urban areas. More than one-quarter of the population lives in Kingstown, the capital. Located on the island of Saint Vincent, Kingstown is the country's only large town, with an estimated 2018 population of approximately 27,000.

Most Vincentians are descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the islands by European planters. Those of African descent comprise the majority ethnic group, at 71.2 percent of the population at the time of the 2012 census. Another 23 percent is of mixed descent. Other minority groups include East Indians and Caribs.

Although English is the official language, most people speak a creole English known as Vincy Twang. A French patois is spoken on some of the smaller islands.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a secular state, with no established church. The Pentecostal, Anglican, and Seventh-Day Adventist Churches count a large percentage of the inhabitants as members. Other faiths practiced in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines include various other forms of Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Rastafarianism, Hinduism, and Islam.

Indigenous People: Saint Vincent's first inhabitants are believed to have been Saladoid peoples, who migrated north from South America and arrived on the island sometime around 160 CE. They were skilled at weaving, stone working, and canoe building, and they are known to have cultivated cassava.

After the Saladoid came the Arawak, who arrived from Venezuela and spread north and west through the West Indies. A peaceful people, the Arawak were farmers and fishers. Numerous sites throughout the Caribbean yield archaeological evidence of their culture.

Around 1300, the Arawak were displaced by the warlike Carib, also from South America. The aggressiveness of the Carib discouraged European settlement of Saint Vincent, but eventually the island was colonized.

The British gained control of Saint Vincent in 1783. A few years later, Joseph Chatoyer, chief of the Black Carib (a mixture of Africans and Indigenous people), began a rebellion against the British. The chief's forces were eventually defeated, and in 1796, he was forced to surrender. His people were exiled the next year. The Garifuna people of Belize have traced their roots to this event.

On March 14, 2002, Chatoyer was declared the first national hero of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. National Heroes' Day, an official holiday in his honor, is observed on March 14.

Education: Education in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is divided into primary (ages five through eleven) and secondary (ages twelve through sixteen). During the 2021–22 academic year, there were 108 preschools, 67 primary schools, and 29 secondary schools; many schools are state run. The Education Act of 1992 was revised in 2006 to make education free and compulsory between ages five and sixteen. In addition, although education is free, parents must buy school uniforms and books and supply bus fare. Textbooks and sports equipment are not always available.

Students who complete secondary school may go on for two years of postsecondary studies. The government fully funds public schools and provides some financial support for private, church-related schools.

Health Care: Medical care is free for children under the age of seventeen. Also, the government provides free family planning and prenatal and postnatal services. Lower medical fees are charged for the unemployed, the elderly, and poorer families.

In 2024, the average life expectancy among Vincentians was 77.2 years—75.2 years for men and 79.03 years for women. In 2017 the leading causes of premature death were ischemic heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Obesity, high blood glucose levels, and high blood pressure were significant risk factors among Vincentians.

The infant mortality rate in 2024 was 12.3 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Food: The national dish of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is roasted breadfruit and fried jackfish. Foods are generally very spicy, and curries are popular. Callaloo, a typical dish throughout the Caribbean, is a fish stew made with coconut milk and spinach or leaves of dasheen (a type of taro).

Arrowroot is used as a thickener in foods such as custard. Cassava is a tuber, also known as manioc and yucca; it is used to make chokee bam bam (a flat cake) and farine, usually used as a stuffing for meat or fish. Cassava pone is a popular dessert made with farine.

Pumpkin soup is a common vegetable dish. Sweet potatoes are also widely eaten, along with fruits such as passion fruit, guava, mangoes, papaya, and bananas.

Fish and seafood are generally eaten every day. Lobster, dolphin fish, lambi (conch), and shrimp are used in numerous dishes, often with vegetables or fruit. Buljol is salted fish served with sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions, and roasted breadfruit.

In Saint Vincent, "tea" can mean a variety of drinks, including coffee, hot chocolate, or fish broth. Locally brewed beer and rum are popular alcoholic drinks.

Arts & Entertainment: Music in Saint Vincent reflects the nation's multiethnic heritage. Typical music heard on the islands includes steel pan, soca, calypso, and drum music. The islands also host annual blues and gospel festivals. The Nine Mornings Festival is held in December.

Local crafts include jewelry, wood carvings, and banana art, as well as hats, baskets, handbags, and children's toys woven in straw, pandanus, and wiss. The islands are also known for boat building. In the Grenadines, the launching of a boat is cause for a celebration, with music and goat stew.

Both football (soccer) and cricket are popular sports among Vincentians. Saint Vincent has numerous professional football clubs, and numerous Vincentian professional cricket players have represented the West Indies in international competition.

Other popular sports include basketball and netball. Vincentians also enjoy snorkeling and diving, sailing, and windsurfing.

Holidays: Official holidays observed in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines include National Heroes' Day (March 14), which honors Carib chief Joseph Chatoyer; National Workers' Day (May 1); and Independence Day (October 27). Vincy Mas Carnival Monday begins on the first Monday in July and continues for ten days. Emancipation Day, marking the abolition of slavery in 1834, is celebrated on the first Monday in August. Several Christian holidays are also observed, including Good Friday and Easter Monday in March or April, Whit Monday in May, and Christmas Day on December 25.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Part of the Windward Islands group of the West Indies, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lies 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of Barbados and 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Venezuela. Saint Lucia lies 34 kilometers (21 miles) to the northeast. The small country has a coastline of 84 kilometers (52 miles).

Saint Vincent is the country's largest island, approximately 29 kilometers (18 miles) long and 18 kilometers (11 miles) wide. The country's capital and largest urban area, Kingstown, is located on the island's southern coast. The fertile Buccament River valley lies in the southwest corner of the island.

Saint Vincent is volcanic and mountainous, with steep valleys and numerous waterfalls. La Soufrière, an active volcano, is the country's highest point, rising to 1,234 meters (4,049 feet) in the northern part of the island. It last erupted in 2021, displacing more than 10 percent of the population.

The largest of the thirty-two tiny Grenadine islands, or cays (pronounced "keys"), are Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Isle D'Quatre, and Union Island.

Natural Resources: Saint Vincent's major natural resources are fertile farmland and hydropower. Pollution of the islands' coastal waters is an environmental concern, as discharge from yachts has made the water in some areas unsafe for swimming. Tourist hotels and resorts are also damaging to the coastal areas. In addition, timbering and slash-and-burn agriculture are causing deforestation.

Plants & Animals: Tropical vegetation covers most of the islands. The biodiversity is impressive. Sea grass and mangroves are abundant throughout the islands. The blossom of the soufrière tree is the national flower.

In the Buccament River valley alone, numerous fruits and vegetables grow, including pineapples, plums, bananas, avocado, citrus fruits, wild yams, breadfruit, wild spinach, pigeon peas, pumpkins, and cucumbers.

Many plants in the same area are used for medicinal purposes. These include bwa kwabit, castor bean, broom, river senna, bird pepper, wild tamarind, mint, watergrass, black sage, mahoe, verveine, and wedelia.

Birds endemic to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines include the Lesser Antillean tanager, the whistling warbler, and the Grenada flycatcher. The protected Saint Vincent parrot, the national bird, is the only parrot found on the islands. While this endangered bird remains vulnerable, its population has been increasing. In 2020, there were twenty-seven endangered or critically endangered species in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and forty-five species classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Several species of dolphins, including the spinner, spotted, and bottlenose dolphins, are found in the waters surrounding the islands. Pilot whales, orcas, and other whales are also seen. The coral reefs are filled with marine species, including grouper, herring, mackerel, marlin, sailfish, snapper, tuna, angelfish, and sharks.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is also home to snakes, tree lizards, geckoes, and iguanas. Amphibians include tree frogs, piping frogs and pond frogs. The Buccament valley is home to crustaceans such as crayfish and crabs, including a rare species of hermit crab.

Climate: The climate of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is tropical, with little seasonal variation. Temperatures range from 18 to 32 degrees Celsius (64 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit). The average annual temperature is 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit). Humidity is high throughout the year.

The annual rainfall, which occurs mostly from May to November, ranges from about 1,500 millimeters (60 inches) in the south to 3,750 millimeters (150 inches) in the mountains of Saint Vincent.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is somewhat vulnerable to hurricanes, though the islands are barely within the hurricane belt, and tropical storms are much more common. La Soufrière is an ever-present volcanic threat, and its eruption in 2021 launched ash more than 2.5 miles into the atmosphere, destroying much of the agricultural land in northern Saint Vincent.

Economy

The economy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is based on agriculture, food processing, and tourism. While hurricanes are rare, tropical storms are frequent and sometimes devastating. Crops suffered tremendous damage from storms in 1994, 1995, and 2002. Likewise, the La Soufrière volcano in northern Saint Vincent caused significant damage to crops in that region in 2021. Saint Vincent is a leading producer of arrowroot, which is used to make starch.

In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at over US$1.858 billion. The unemployment rate was estimated at 18.67 percent of the work force in 2023.

Industry: The islands' major industries include food processing and starch production. Other industries include cement production and furniture and apparel manufacturing.

Exports generated an estimated US$125 million in 2021. The country's biggest agricultural export is bananas; arrowroot starch and taro are other important agricultural exports. Recreational boats, cargo ships, and animal food are other significant export commodities.

Agriculture: Roughly one-quarter of the land in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is cultivated. The chief crops include bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, and spices.

Vincentian farmers also keep sheep, pigs, cattle, and goats. Fishing provides food for domestic consumption.

Tourism: In 2019, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines welcomed 403,845 visitors, a record high. Tourism contributed 28.6 percent of GDP and 45.2 percent of total employment that year. However, the following year saw damage to the sector due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated travel restrictions. Numbers of visitors began to rise again by 2022, though the islands did not depend on tourism as heavily as on many of its Caribbean neighbors.

Tourist attractions include yachting facilities in the Grenadines, Kingstown Market, historic churches and cathedrals, the botanical gardens, and Fort Charlotte. There are resorts on many of the smaller uninhabited islands.

Swimming in one of the many waterfalls on Saint Vincent is a popular tourist activity. Divers may use snorkels or scuba tanks to explore the coral reefs. Sea kayaking and yachting are other favorite activities. At Easter, the Bequia Island Regatta is open to international sailors as well as locals. Races include all sizes and types of crafts, even models and children's coconut boats.

Natural attractions include the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary, Tobago Cays Marine Park, and Owia Salt Pond. Outdoor enthusiasts also enjoy whale, dolphin and bird watching, volcano tours, and backpacking and hiking.

Government

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a parliamentary democracy with a constitution and a unicameral legislature.

The chief of state is the British monarch, represented in the islands by the governor-general. The head of government is the prime minister, who is usually the leader of the majority party in the legislature. The governor-general appoints the cabinet members with input from the prime minister.

The legislative body is the twenty-three-member House of Assembly. Fifteen members are directly elected by majority vote, six are appointed by the governor-general, and the remaining two are the speaker of the house and the attorney general. Members serve five-year terms.

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court is the highest court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, of which Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a member. It consists of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. Two of the sixteen High Court judges live in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Interesting Facts

• The Tobago Cays were sold by a private owner to the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on the condition that a national park would be established and commercial activity forbidden. Building is not allowed on the cays, and visitors are asked to take their trash with them when they leave.
• Fort Charlotte, built in 1806, was named for the wife of England's King George III.
• Breadfruit is not native to the Caribbean. British captain William Bligh was commissioned to import breadfruit to Saint Vincent from Tahiti in 1789. That mission was thwarted when his crew mutinied and stole his ship, the Bounty. Four years later, he successfully landed at Saint Vincent with a cargo of breadfruit trees.
• Kingstown is nicknamed the City of Arches for its four hundred arches.
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines established a medical-marijuana industry in 2018.

Bibliography

Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division. World Statistics Pocketbook 2023 Edition. United Nations, 31 July 2023, unstats.un.org/unsd/publications/pocketbook/files/world-stats-pocketbook-2023.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.

"Economic Impact Reports." World Travel and Tourism Council, 2020, wttc.org/Research/Economic-Impact. Accessed 30 June 2022.

"St. Vincent and the Grenadines." The World Bank, 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/st-vincent-and-the-grenadines. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

"Saint Vincent and the Grenadines." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 16 Jan. 2025., www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saint-vincent-and-the-grenadines/. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025..

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Education Statistical Digest 2021–2022. Planning and Research Units, Ministry of Education, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, education.gov.vc/education/images/Stories/pdf/ESD‗2021‗22‗SVG.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.