Includes Saint Lucia real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Saint Lucia economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Saint Lucia best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Capital City: Castries
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
Central Bank | Eastern Caribbean Central Bank |
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Currency | East Caribbean dollars (XCD) |
International Reserves |
USD 0.29 billion (2018) International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019 |
Gross Domestic Product – GDP | USD 1.9 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) | Intl$ 2.5 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP Data
Real GDP growth |
2007 2.1% 2008 5% 2009 -1.5% 2010 0.3% 2011 4.1% 2012 -0.3% 2013 -2% 2014 0% 2015 0.3% 2016 3.9% 2017* 3.7% 2018* 1% *Estimate |
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GDP per capita – current prices | USD 10,610.3 (2018, estimate) |
GDP per capita – PPP | Intl$ 14,354.8 (2018, estimate) |
GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
1980 0% 1990 0% 2000 0% 2010 0% 2019* 0.002% *Estimate |
GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 2.1% industry: 9.7% services: 75.1% (2018 estimate) |
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
Inflation |
2015 -1% 2016 -3.1% 2017 0.1% 2018* 2% 2019* 2.1% *Estimate |
Saint Lucia
Inflation & Debt
Inflation |
2015 -1% 2016 -3.1% 2017 0.1% 2018* 2% 2019* 2.1% *Estimat |
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Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: N/A Moody’s: N/A Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s |
Unemployment rate |
2015 N/A 2016 N/A 2017 N/A 2018* N/A 2019*N/A *Estimate |
Household saving rates | N/A |
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2015 66.1% 2016 66.2% 2017 65.5% 2018* 64.3% 2019* 65.9% *Estimate |
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2015 -2.5% 2016 -1.5% 2017 -2.2% 2018* -1.4% 2019* -2.2% *Estimate |
Market value of publicly traded shares |
2016 N/A 2017 N/A 2018 N/A |
Largest Companies | N/A |
Import/Export
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) | 36.3% (2016) |
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Shares in world total merchandising export | 0.0005% (2018) |
Shares in world total commercial services export | 0.02% (2018) |
Total exports | USD 1.1 billion (2018 estimate) |
Export commodities | Bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, avocados, mangoes, coconut oil (2010 est.) |
Total imports | USD 972.5 million (2018 estimate) |
Import commodities | Food, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels |
Exports – major partners | US 67.6%, UK 5.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.5% (2017) |
Imports – major partners | US 53.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.8% (2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
Current account balance | USD 0.1 billion (2018 estimate) |
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Current account balance by percentage of GDP | 3.0 % (2018 estimate) |
FDI inflows |
2016 USD 129 million 2017 USD 131 million 2018 USD 135 million |
FDI Outflows |
2016 USD 5.4 million 2017 USD 5.6 million 2018 USD 13.2 million |
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
2015 N/A 2016 N/A 2017 N/A 2018 N/A |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | N/A |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | N/A |
Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 93 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 69 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 38 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 56 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 107 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 165 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 79 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 84 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 93 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 79 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 131 out of 190 countries |
Global competitiveness ranking | N/A |
Index of Economic Freedom |
Ranking: 38 / Score: 68.7 (Moderately free) (100=totally free 0=totally repressed) |
Population & Geographic Data
Total Area |
616 sq km |
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Total Population |
1990 0.13 Million 2000 0.16 Million 2010 0.17 Million 2015 0.17 Million 2020 0.18 Million |
Urban population as % of total population |
1960 21.5% 1980 26.5% 2000 27.8% 2018 18.7% |
Population median age | 35.5 years |
Population growth rate | 0.31% (2018 estimate) |
Life expectancy | 78.1 years (2018 estimate) |
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day | 10.6% (last available estimate, 2016) |
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) | 51.2 (last available estimate, 2016) |
Freedom House rating |
Free Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 20.1% Mobile: 101.7% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
Internet users as % of total population | 50.82 % (2017) |
Language & Religon
Languages | English (official), French patois |
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Literacy | N/A |
Religions | Roman Catholic 61.5%, Protestant 25.5% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 10.4%, Pentecostal 8.9%, Baptist 2.2%, Anglican 1.6%, Church of God 1.5%, other Protestant 0.9%), other Christian 3.4% (includes Evangelical 2.3% and Jehovah’s Witness 1.1%), Rastafari |
World Rankings
Population | 0.18 million |
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Mercer Cost of living index | N/A |
C02 Emissions per capita | 2.28 metric tons per capita (2014) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Saint Lucia
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000