Curacao
Curacao⌘K
Overview
- Background
- The original Arawak Indian settlers who arrived on Curaçao from South America in about A.D. 1000 were largely enslaved by the Spanish early in the 16th century and forcibly relocated to other colonies where labor was needed. The Dutch seized Curaçao from the Spanish in 1634. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, Curaçao was hard hit economically when the Dutch abolished slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of the Isla Refineria to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oilfields. In 1954, Curaçao and several other Dutch Caribbean colonies were reorganized as the Netherlands Antilles, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In referenda in 2005 and 2009, the citizens of Curaçao voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The change in status became effective in 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 444 sq km
- Water
- 0 sq km
- Total
- 444 sq km
- Climate
- tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 60 cm/year
- Terrain
- generally low, hilly terrain
Land Use
- Other
- 99.8% (2022 est.)
- Forest
- 0.2% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 0% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 10% (2018)
- Location
- Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea, 55 km off the coast of Venezuela
- Coastline
- 364 km
Elevation
- Lowest point
- Caribbean Sea 0 m
- Highest point
- Mt. Christoffel 372 m
- Irrigated land
- NA
- Map references
- Central America and the Caribbean
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 0 km
Maritime Claims
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- Exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- Natural hazards
- Curacao is south of the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
- Geography note
- Curaçao is a part of the Windward Islands (southern) group in the Lesser Antilles
- Natural resources
- calcium phosphates, protected harbors, hot springs
- Area comparative
- more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.
- Geographic coordinates
- 12 10 N, 69 00 W
- Population distribution
- largest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest
People & Society
- Languages
- Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak) 80%, Dutch (official) 8.8%, Spanish 5.6%, English (official) 3.1%, other 2.3%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 72.8%, Pentecostal 6.6%, Protestant 3.2%, Adventist 3%, Jehovah's Witness 2%, Evangelical 1.9%, other 3.8%, none 6%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
Sex Ratio
- At birth
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0 14 years
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15 64 years
- 0.98 male(s)/female
- Total population
- 0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
- 65 years and over
- 0.67 male(s)/female
- Birth rate
- 12.71 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 8.91 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median Age
- Male
- 35.5 years
- Total
- 38.1 years (2025 est.)
- Female
- 40.2 years
Population
- Male
- 73,755
- Total
- 153,289 (2024 est.)
- Female
- 79,534
Nationality
- Noun
- Curacaoan
- Adjective
- Curacaoan; Dutch
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 89% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 0.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age Structure
- 0 14 years
- 19.2% (male 15,069/female 14,337)
- 15 64 years
- 62.3% (male 47,258/female 48,217)
- 65 years and over
- 18.5% (2024 est.) (male 11,428/female 16,980)
- Ethnic groups
- Curacaoan 75.4%, Dutch 6%, Dominican 3.6%, Colombian 3%, Bonairean, Sint Eustatian, Saban 1.5%, Haitian 1.2%, Surinamese 1.2%, Venezuelan 1.1%, Aruban 1.1%, other 5%, unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)
Dependency Ratios
- Total dependency ratio
- 60.6 (2024 est.)
- Youth dependency ratio
- 30.8 (2024 est.)
- Potential support ratio
- 3.4 (2024 est.)
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 29.8 (2024 est.)
- Net migration rate
- -1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Total fertility rate
- 1.95 children born/woman (2025 est.)
- Education expenditure
- 7.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
- Male
- 8.3 deaths/1,000 live births
- Total
- 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
- Female
- 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births
- Population growth rate
- 0.25% (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 0.95 (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- largest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Male
- 77.6 years
- Female
- 82.3 years
- Total population
- 79.9 years (2024 est.)
- Major urban areas population
- 144,000 WILLEMSTAD (capital) (2018)
Government
- Flag
- description: on a blue field, a horizontal yellow band divides the flag below the center; two five-pointed white stars -- the smaller above and to the left of the larger -- appear in the upper left
meaning: the blue stands for the sky and sea, and yellow for the sun; the stars symbolize Curacao and its uninhabited sister island of Klein Curacao (Little Curacao); the star points represent the five continents from which Curacao's inhabitants originate
Capital
- Name
- Willemstad
- Etymology
- the name means "William's Town" in Dutch; named after Prince WILLEM of Orange (1533-84), the first stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands
- Time difference
- UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Geographic coordinates
- 12 06 N, 68 55 W
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship
- see the Netherlands
Constitution
- History
- previous 1947, 1955; latest adopted 5 September 2010, entered into force 10 October 2010 (regulates governance of Curacao but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Country Name
- Former
- Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies
- Etymology
- the origin of the name is disputed; many historians now agree that the name derives from a similar-sounding word the original inhabitants used to describe themselves
- Local long form
- Land Curacao (Dutch)/ Pais Korsou (Papiamento)
- Local short form
- Curacao (Dutch)/ Korsou (Papiamento)
- Conventional long form
- Country of Curacao
- Conventional short form
- Curacao
- Independence
- none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- Legal system
- based on Dutch civil law
- Government type
- parliamentary democracy
Judicial Branch
- Highest court(s)
- Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or "Joint Court of Justice" (sits as a 3-judge panel); final appeals heard by the Supreme Court in The Hague, Netherlands
- Subordinate courts
- first instance courts, appeals court; specialized courts
- Judge selection and term of office
- Joint Court judges appointed by the monarch for life
Executive Branch
- Cabinet
- Cabinet sworn-in by the governor
- Chief of state
- King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor Lucille A. GEORGE-WOUT (since 4 November 2013)
- Head of government
- Prime Minister Gilmar PISAS (since 14 June 2021)
- Most recent election date
- 21 March 2025
- Election/appointment process
- the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the legislature usually elects the leader of the majority party as prime minister
- Expected date of next election
- 2029
- National holiday
- King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967)
- Dependency status
- one of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
- National color(s)
- blue, yellow, white
National Heritage
- Total world heritage sites
- 1 (cultural); note - excerpted from the Netherlands entry
- Selected world heritage site locales
- Historic Willemstad
- Political parties
- Korsou di Nos Tur or KdnT
Korsou Esun Miho or KEM
Movementu Futuro Korsou or MFK
Movementu Progresivo or MP
Movishon Antia Nobo or MAN
Partido Antia Restruktura or PAR
Partido Inovashon Nashonal or PIN
Partido Nashonal di Pueblo or PNP
Pueblo Soberano or PS
Trabou pa Kòrsou or TPK
Un Korsou Hustu
Legislative Branch
- Term in office
- 4 years
- Number of seats
- 21 (directly elected)
- Electoral system
- proportional representation
- Legislature name
- Parliament of Curacao
- Scope of elections
- full renewal
- Legislative structure
- unicameral
- Most recent election date
- 3/19/2021
- Expected date of next election
- 2025
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 28.6%
- Parties elected and seats per party
- MFK (9); PAR (4); PNP (4); MAN (2); KEM (1); TPK (1)
National Anthem(s)
- Title
- "Himmo di Korsou" (Anthem of Curacao)
- History
- adapted 1978; the lyrics, originally written in 1899, were rewritten in 1978 to remove colonial references
- Lyrics/music
- Guillermo ROSARIO, Mae HENRIQUEZ, Enrique MULLER, Betty DORAN/Frater Candidus NOWENS, Errol "El Toro" COLINA
- National symbol(s)
- laraha (citrus tree)
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Diplomatic Representation from the US
- Fax
- [599] (9) 461-6489
- Embassy
- P.O. Box 158, J.B. Gorsiraweg 1
- Telephone
- [599] (9) 461-3066
- Mailing address
- 3160 Curacao Place, Washington DC 20521-3160
- Chief of mission
- Consul General Ramón “Chico” NEGRÓN (since 9 June 2025); note - also accredited to Aruba and Sint Maarten
- Email address and website
ACSCuracao@state.gov
https://cw.usconsulate.gov/
- International organisations
- ACS (associate), Caricom (observer), FATF, ILO, ITU, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Economy
Exports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $1.363 billion (2021 est.)
- Note
- note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
- Exports 2021
- $1.363 billion (2021 est.)
- Exports 2022
- $2.046 billion (2022 est.)
- Exports 2023
- $2.107 billion (2023 est.)
Imports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $1.91 billion (2021 est.)
- Note
- note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
- Imports 2021
- $1.91 billion (2021 est.)
- Imports 2022
- $2.891 billion (2022 est.)
- Imports 2023
- $2.764 billion (2023 est.)
- Industries
- tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment, light manufacturing, financial and business services
Remittances
- Note
- note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
- Remittances 2021
- 5.2% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Remittances 2022
- 5.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Remittances 2023
- 5.4% of GDP (2023 est.)
Exchange Rates
- Currency
- Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2020
- 1.79 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 1.79 (2021 est.)
- Exchange rates 2022
- 1.79 (2022 est.)
- Exchange rates 2023
- 1.79 (2023 est.)
- Exchange rates 2024
- 1.79 (2024 est.)
- Economic overview
- high-income island economy; developed infrastructure; tourism and financial services-based economy; investing in information technology incentives; oil refineries service Venezuela and China
- Exports partners
- Armenia 57%, USA 15%, Guyana 5%, Dominican Republic 4%, Netherlands 2% (2023)
- Imports partners
- USA 39%, Netherlands 24%, China 6%, Colombia 5%, Brazil 3% (2023)
Real GDP Per Capita
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $27,700 (2023 est.)
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP per capita 2021
- $25,200 (2021 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2022
- $27,600 (2022 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2023
- $27,700 (2023 est.)
Real GDP Growth Rate
- Note
- note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
- Real GDP growth rate 2021
- 4.2% (2021 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2022
- 7.9% (2022 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2023
- 4.2% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural products
- aloe, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
- Exports commodities
- diamonds, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, gold, petroleum coke (2023)
- Imports commodities
- refined petroleum, cars, garments, plastic products, packaged medicine (2023)
Current Account Balance
- Note
- note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
- Current account balance 2021
- -$508.758 million (2021 est.)
- Current account balance 2022
- -$822.667 million (2022 est.)
- Current account balance 2023
- -$654.688 million (2023 est.)
- GDP (official exchange rate)
- $3.281 billion (2023 est.)
GDP Composition, BY End Use
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
- Household consumption
- 73.2% (2018 est.)
- Government consumption
- 14.5% (2018 est.)
- Investment in inventories
- 7.1% (2018 est.)
- Investment in fixed capital
- 34% (2018 est.)
- Exports of goods and services
- 63.2% (2018 est.)
- Imports of goods and services
- -92% (2018 est.)
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 2.6% (2019 est.)
- Note
- note: annual % change based on consumer prices
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017
- 1.6% (2017 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018
- 2.6% (2018 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019
- 2.6% (2019 est.)
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $4.312 billion (2023 est.)
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021
- $3.834 billion (2021 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
- $4.138 billion (2022 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
- $4.312 billion (2023 est.)
GDP Composition, BY Sector of Origin
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
- Industry
- 11.7% (2023 est.)
- Services
- 73.3% (2023 est.)
- Agriculture
- 0.3% (2023 est.)
Energy
Electricity Access
- Electrification total population
- 100% (2022 est.)
Communications
Internet Users
- Percent of population
- 68% (2017 est.)
- Broadcast media
- government-run TeleCuracao operates a TV station and a radio station; 2 other privately owned TV stations and several privately owned radio stations (2019)
- Internet country code
- .cw
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Total subscriptions
- 51,000 (2022 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 27 (2022 est.)
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Total subscriptions
- 173,926 (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 94 (2023 est.)
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Total
- 61,000 (2022 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 33 (2022 est.)
Transport
Ports
- Large
- 0
- Small
- 1
- Medium
- 2
- Key ports
- Bullenbaai, Caracasbaai, Sint Michelsbaai, Willemstad
- Very small
- 1
- Total ports
- 4 (2024)
- Ports with oil terminals
- 3
- Airports
- 1 (2025)
Merchant Marine
- Total
- 57 (2023)
- BY type
- general cargo 5, oil tanker 1, other 51
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- PJ
Environment
- Climate
- tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 60 cm/year
Land Use
- Other
- 99.8% (2022 est.)
- Forest
- 0.2% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 0% (2022 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 10% (2018)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 89% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 0.57% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and Recycling
- Municipal solid waste generated annually
- 24,700 tons (2024 est.)
- Environmental issues
- waste management, including pollution of marine areas from domestic sewage, inadequate sewage treatment facilities, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, mismanagement of toxic substances, and ineffective regulations; damage from neglect and a lack of controls at major refinery
Military & Security
- Military note
- defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the Dutch Government controls foreign and defense policy; local security forces are supported by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Gendarmerie), the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (Korps Politie Caribisch Nederland, KPCN), and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG or Kustwacht Caribisch Gebied (KWCARIB)); there are two Dutch naval bases on Curaçao, and the Dutch Army maintains a small unit on a rotational basis (2025)
- Military and security forces
- Curaçao Militia (CURMIL); Curaçao Volunteer Corps; Curacao Police Force (Korps Politie Curacao) (2025)
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Curacao — vintage 2026-Q1: Curacao factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/curacao
Sources: CIA World Factbook