Photos of Cayman Islands

Introduction

Background

The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies. When the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency. The territory has transformed itself into a significant offshore financial center.

Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Geography

Location

Caribbean, three-island group (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica

Geographic coordinates

19 30 N, 80 30 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total: 264 sq km

land: 264 sq km

water: 0 sq km

comparison ranking: total 210

Area - comparative

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

160 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)

Terrain

low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs

Elevation

highest point: 1 km SW of The Bluff on Cayman Brac 50 m

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources

fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism

Land use

agricultural land: 11.2% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0.8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 8.3% (2018 est.)

forest: 52.9% (2018 est.)

other: 35.9% (2018 est.)

Population distribution

majority of the population resides on Grand Cayman

Natural hazards

hurricanes (July to November)

Geography - note

important location between Cuba and Central America

People and Society

Population

65,483 (2023 est.)

note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman

comparison ranking: 204

Nationality

noun: Caymanian(s)

adjective: Caymanian

Ethnic groups

mixed 40%, White 20%, African descent 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20%

Languages

English (official) 90.9%, Spanish 4%, Filipino 3.3%, other 1.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)

Religions

Protestant 67.8% (includes Church of God 22.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 9.4%, Presbyterian/United Church 8.6%, Baptist 8.3%, Pentecostal 7.1%, non-denominational 5.3%, Anglican 4.1%, Wesleyan Holiness 2.4%), Roman Catholic 14.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other 7%, none 9.3%, unspecified 0.7% (2010 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 17.48% (male 5,761/female 5,684)

15-64 years: 66.48% (male 21,271/female 22,261)

65 years and over: 16.04% (2023 est.) (male 4,792/female 5,714)

2023 population pyramid:
2023 population pyramid

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 32.6

youth dependency ratio: 22.3

elderly dependency ratio: 10.4

potential support ratio: 9.6 (2021)

Median age

total: 41 years (2023 est.)

male: 40.2 years

female: 41.8 years

comparison ranking: total 52

Population growth rate

1.79% (2023 est.)

comparison ranking: 52

Birth rate

11.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

comparison ranking: 158

Death rate

6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

comparison ranking: 151

Net migration rate

12.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US

comparison ranking: 7

Population distribution

majority of the population resides on Grand Cayman

Urbanization

urban population: 100% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

35,000 GEORGE TOWN (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 7.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male: 9 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.9 deaths/1,000 live births

comparison ranking: total 154

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 82.3 years (2023 est.)

male: 79.6 years

female: 85 years

comparison ranking: total population 26

Total fertility rate

1.82 children born/woman (2023 est.)

comparison ranking: 136

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 97.4% of population

total: 97.4% of population

unimproved: urban: 2.6% of population

total: 2.6% of population (2015 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 95.6% of population

total: 95.6% of population

unimproved: urban: 4.4% of population

total: 4.4% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

2.1% of GDP (2019)

comparison ranking: 185

Literacy

total population: 98.9% NA

male: 98.7% NA

female: 99% (2021) NA

Environment

Environment - current issues

no natural freshwater resources; drinking water supplies are met by reverse osmosis desalination plants and rainwater catchment; trash washing up on the beaches or being deposited there by residents; no recycling or waste treatment facilities; deforestation (trees being cut down to create space for commercial use)

Climate

tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)

Land use

agricultural land: 11.2% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0.8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 8.3% (2018 est.)

forest: 52.9% (2018 est.)

other: 35.9% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 100% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.13% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Revenue from forest resources

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

comparison ranking: 199

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

comparison ranking: 127

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions: 0.55 megatons (2016 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 60,000 tons (2014 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually: 12,600 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 21% (2013 est.)

Government

Country name

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Cayman Islands

etymology: the islands' name comes from the native Carib word "caiman," describing the marine crocodiles living there

Government type

parliamentary democracy; self-governing overseas territory of the UK

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Capital

name: George Town (on Grand Cayman)

geographic coordinates: 19 18 N, 81 23 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: named after English King GEORGE III (1738-1820)

Administrative divisions

6 districts; Bodden Town, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, East End, George Town, North Side, West Bay

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday

Constitution Day, the first Monday in July (1959)

Constitution

history: several previous; latest approved 10 June 2009, entered into force 6 November 2009 (The Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009)

amendments: amended 2016, 2020

Legal system

English common law and local statutes

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Jane OWEN (since 21 April 2023)

head of government: Premier Juliana O'CONNOR-CONNOLLY (since 15 November 2023)

cabinet: Cabinet selected from the Parliament and appointed by the governor on the advice of the premier

elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch

description: unicameral Parliament (21 seats; 19 members directly elected by majority vote and 2 ex officio members - the deputy governor and attorney general - appointed by the governor; members serve 4-year terms)

elections: last held on 14 April 2021 (next to be held in 2025)

election results: percent of vote by party - independent 79.1%, PPM 19.6%; elected seats by party - independent 12, PPM 7; composition of elected members - men 15, women 4, percent of women 21.1%; ex officio members - men 2

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and at least 2 judges); Grand Court (consists of the court president and at least 2 judges); note - appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and Grand Court judges appointed by the governor on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, an 8-member independent body consisting of governor appointees, Court of Appeal president, and attorneys; Court of Appeal judges' tenure based on their individual instruments of appointment; Grand Court judges normally appointed until retirement at age 65 but can be extended until age 70

subordinate courts: Summary Court

Political parties and leaders

Cayman Islands Peoples Party or CIPP [Ezzard MILLER]
People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Roy McTAGGART]

International organization participation

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK); consular services provided through the US Embassy in Jamaica

Flag description

a blue field with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a crest with a pineapple, representing the connection with Jamaica, and a turtle, representing Cayman's seafaring tradition, above a shield bearing a golden lion, symbolizing Great Britain, below which are three green stars (representing the three islands) surmounting white and blue wavy lines representing the sea; a scroll below the shield bears the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS

National symbol(s)

green sea turtle

National anthem

name: "Beloved Isle Cayman"

lyrics/music: Leila E. ROSS

note: adopted 1993; served as an unofficial anthem since 1930; as an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, in addition to the local anthem, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)

Economy

Economic overview

dominant offshore banking territory; services sector accounts for over 85% of economic activity; recently adopted a fiscal responsibility framework to combat tax evasion and money laundering; large tourism sector; does not have any welfare system; high standard of living

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$4.599 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$4.516 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$4.788 billion (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 181

Real GDP growth rate

1.84% (2021 est.)
-5.68% (2020 est.)
3.87% (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 167

Real GDP per capita

$67,500 (2021 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$67,100 (2020 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$72,400 (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 12

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.25 billion (2008 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2% (2017 est.)
-0.6% (2016 est.)

comparison ranking: 157

Credit ratings

Moody's rating: Aa3 (1997)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 0.3% (2017 est.)

industry: 7.4% (2017 est.)

services: 92.3% (2017 est.)

comparison rankings: services 7; industry 215; agriculture 215

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 62.3% (2017 est.)

government consumption: 14.5% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 22.1% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)

exports of goods and services: 65.4% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services: -64.2% (2017 est.)

Agricultural products

vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming

Industries

tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture

Industrial production growth rate

-3.36% (2020 est.)

comparison ranking: 180

Labor force

39,000 (2007 est.)

note: nearly 55% are non-nationals

comparison ranking: 199

Unemployment rate

4% (2008)
4.4% (2004)

comparison ranking: 174

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 13.8% (2015 est.)

male: 16.4%

female: 11.4%

comparison ranking: total 126

Budget

revenues: $874.5 million (2017 est.)

expenditures: $766.6 million (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

4.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

comparison ranking: 7

Taxes and other revenues

38.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

comparison ranking: 14

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Current account balance

-$763.556 million (2020 est.)
-$646.843 million (2019 est.)
-$927.544 million (2018 est.)

comparison ranking: 132

Exports

$3.652 billion (2020 est.)
$4.205 billion (2019 est.)
$3.959 billion (2018 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

comparison ranking: 139

Exports - partners

Netherlands 82%, Spain 11% (2019)

Exports - commodities

recreational boats, aircraft, ships, gold, refined petroleum, natural gas (2021)

Imports

$2.507 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$2.743 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$2.518 billion (2018 est.)

comparison ranking: 163

Imports - partners

Netherlands 56%, United States 18%, Italy 8%, Switzerland 5% (2019)

Imports - commodities

recreational boats, ships, gold, refined petroleum, cars (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$216.8 million (31 December 2020 est.)
$183.5 million (31 December 2019 est.)
$162.074 million (31 December 2018 est.)

comparison ranking: 183

Exchange rates

Caymanian dollars (KYD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
0.833 (2021 est.)
0.833 (2020 est.)
0.833 (2019 est.)
0.833 (2018 est.)
0.833 (2017 est.)

Energy

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2021)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 174,000 kW (2020 est.)

consumption: 655.165 million kWh (2019 est.)

exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)

imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses: 40 million kWh (2019 est.)

comparison rankings: imports 138; exports 121; installed generating capacity 175; transmission/distribution losses 174; consumption 165

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 97.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar: 2.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal

production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 5,500 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

comparison ranking: 150

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

comparison ranking: 198

Refined petroleum products - imports

4,285 bbl/day (2015 est.)

comparison ranking: 175

Natural gas

production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

808,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids: 808,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: total emissions 178

Energy consumption per capita

175.578 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 25

Communications

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 36,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 53 (2021 est.)

comparison ranking: total subscriptions 163

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 100,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 150 (2021 est.)

comparison ranking: total subscriptions 193

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: the telecom sector has seen a decline in subscriber numbers (particularly for prepaid mobile services the mainstay of short term visitors) and revenue; fixed and mobile broadband services are two areas that have benefited from the crisis as employees and students have resorted to working from home; one area of the telecom market that is not prepared for growth is 5G mobile; governments, regulators, and even the mobile network operators have shown that they have not been investing in 5G opportunities at the present time; network expansion and enhancements remain concentrated around improving LTE coverage (2021)

domestic: 53 per 100 fixed-line and 150 per 100 mobile-cellular (2021)

international: country code - 1-345; landing points for the Maya-1, Deep Blue Cable, and the Cayman-Jamaica Fiber System submarine cables that provide links to the US and parts of Central and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

Broadcast media

4 TV stations; cable and satellite subscription services offer a variety of international programming; government-owned Radio Cayman operates 2 networks broadcasting on 5 stations; 10 privately owned radio stations operate alongside Radio Cayman

Internet users

total: 55,148 (2021 est.)

percent of population: 81.1% (2021 est.)

comparison ranking: total 199

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 3,200 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 49 (2020 est.)

comparison ranking: total 191

Transportation

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6

Airports

3 (2021)

comparison ranking: total 193

Airports - with paved runways

3

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

1

note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Roadways

total: 785 km (2007)

paved: 785 km (2007)

comparison ranking: total 189

Merchant marine

total: 139 (2022)

by type: bulk carrier 29, container ship 3, general cargo 1, oil tanker 20, other 86

comparison ranking: total 77

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Cayman Brac, George Town

cruise port(s): George Town, Grand Cayman

Military and Security

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Service

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Illicit drugs

major offshore financial center vulnerable to drug trafficking money laundering