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Communications

Broadband - fixed subscriptions [time series]

total: 1,000 (2018 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media [time series]

Saint Helena has no local TV station; 2 local radio stations, one of which is relayed to Ascension Island; satellite TV stations rebroadcast terrestrially; Ascension Island has no local TV station but has 1 local radio station and receives relays of broadcasts from 1 radio station on Saint Helena; broadcasts from the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) are available, as well as TV services for the US military; Tristan da Cunha has 1 local radio station and receives BFBS TV and radio broadcasts

Communications - note [time series]

Ascension Island hosts one of four dedicated ground antennas that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system (the others are on Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory), Kwajalein (Marshall Islands), and at Cape Canaveral, Florida (US)); South Africa maintains a meteorological station on Gough Island in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago

Internet country code [time series]

.sh; note - Ascension Island assigned .ac

Internet users [time series]

total: 2,287 (2021 est.) percent of population: 37.6% (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems [time series]

general assessment: capability to communicate worldwide; ADSL- broadband service; LTE coverage of 95% of population, includes voice calls, text messages, mobile data as well as inbound and outbound roaming; Wi-Fi hotspots in Jamestown, 1 ISP, many services are not offered locally but made available for visitors; some sun outages due to the reliance of international telephone and Internet communication relying on single satellite link (2020) domestic: automatic digital network; fixed-line is 74 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 74 per 100 persons (2021) international: country code (Saint Helena) - 290, (Ascension Island) - 247; landing point for the SaEx1 submarine cable providing connectivity to South Africa, Brazil, Virginia Beach (US) and islands in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan de Cunha; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1) (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines [time series]

total subscriptions: 4,000 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 74 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

total subscriptions: 4,000 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 74 (2021 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products [time series]

coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; fish, lobster; livestock; timber

Economic overview [time series]

upper middle-income, British Atlantic Ocean territorial economy; native (but pegged to British pound) currency user on 2 of 3 islands; significant UK financial support; unique land/farming commune structure; military-related economic activity; sport fishing locale

Exchange rates [time series]

Saint Helena pounds (SHP) per US dollar - 0.805 (2023 est.) 0.811 (2022 est.) 0.727 (2021 est.) 0.78 (2020 est.) 0.783 (2019 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

fish, shellfish, iron alloys, glass working machines, corn (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners [time series]

US 55%, Netherlands 17%, Singapore 10%, Japan 8%, Senegal 2% (2022) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

Imports - commodities [time series]

asphalt, baked goods, air pumps, plastic products, iron sheet piling (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners [time series]

UK 44%, South Africa 25%, US 21%, Czechia 4%, Namibia 2% (2022) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industries [time series]

construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, collectible postage stamps

Energy

Carbon dioxide emissions [time series]

13,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 13,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Coal [time series]

imports: 69.9 metric tons (2022 est.)

Electricity [time series]

installed generating capacity: 8,000 kW (2022 est.) consumption: 6.963 million kWh (2022 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 1.5 million kWh (2022 est.)

Electricity access [time series]

electrification - total population: 100% (2021)

Electricity generation sources [time series]

fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Petroleum [time series]

refined petroleum consumption: 81 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Environment

Climate [time series]

Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

Environment - current issues [time series]

development threatens unique biota on Saint Helena

Land use [time series]

agricultural land: 30.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 10.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 20.5% (2018 est.) forest: 5.1% (2018 est.) other: 64.1% (2018 est.)

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 40.7% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.98% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total : 394 sq km land: 122 sq km Saint Helena Island water: 0 sq km 88 sq km Ascension Island, 184 sq km Tristan da Cunha island group (includes Tristan (98 sq km), Inaccessible, Nightingale, and Gough islands)

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Climate [time series]

Coastline [time series]

Saint Helena: 60 km Ascension Island: NA Tristan da Cunha (island only): 34 km

Elevation [time series]

highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Diana's Peak on Saint Helena Island 818 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates [time series]

Saint Helena: 15 57 S, 5 42 W; Ascension Island: 7 57 S, 14 22 W; Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S, 12 30 W

Geography - note [time series]

Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown elsewhere in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa

Irrigated land [time series]

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 0 km

Land use [time series]

agricultural land: 30.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 10.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 20.5% (2018 est.) forest: 5.1% (2018 est.) other: 64.1% (2018 est.)

Location [time series]

islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 1,300 km (800 mi) northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 4,300 km (2,700 mi) southwest of Saint Helena

Map references [time series]

Africa

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha volcanism: the island volcanoes of Tristan da Cunha (2,060 m) and Nightingale Island (365 m) experience volcanic activity; Tristan da Cunha erupted in 1962 and Nightingale in 2004

Natural resources [time series]

fish, lobster

Population distribution [time series]

Saint Helena - population is concentrated in and around the capital Jamestown in the northwest, with another significant cluster in the interior Longwood area; Ascension - largest settlement, and location of most of the population, is Georgetown; Tristan da Cunha - most of the nearly 300 inhabitants live in the northern coastal town of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Terrain [time series]

the islands of this group are of volcanic origin associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains; Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; terrain rises to the east; Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

3 administrative areas; Ascension, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha

Capital [time series]

name: Jamestown geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 43 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: founded in 1659 and named after James, Duke of York, who would become King JAMES II of England (r. 1785-1788)

Citizenship [time series]

see United Kingdom

Constitution [time series]

history: several previous; latest effective 1 September 2009 (St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009)

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha conventional short form: none etymology: Saint Helena was discovered in 1502 by Galician navigator Joao da NOVA, sailing in the service of the Kingdom of Portugal, who named it "Santa Helena"; Ascension was named in 1503 by Portuguese navigator Afonso de ALBUQUERQUE who sighted the island on the Feast Day of the Ascension; Tristan da Cunha was discovered in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristao da CUNHA who christened the main island after himself (the name was subsequently anglicized)

Dependency status [time series]

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022) head of government: Governor Nigel PHILLIPS (since 13 August 2022) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, 3 ex-officio officers, and 5 elected members of the Legislative Council elections/appointments: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch note: the constitution order provides for an administrator for Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, appointed by the governor

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the upper third of the shield depicts a white plover (wire bird) on a yellow field; the remainder of the shield depicts a rocky coastline on the left, offshore is a three-masted sailing ship with sails furled but flying an English flag

Government type [time series]

parliamentary democracy

Independence [time series]

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation [time series]

UPU

Judicial branch [time series]

highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 2 justices); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice - a nonresident - and NA 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 Supreme Court justices appointed by the governor acting upon the instructions from a secretary of state acting on behalf of King CHARLES III; justices of both courts serve until retirement at age 70, but terms can be extended subordinate courts: Magistrates' Court; Small Claims Court; Juvenile Court

Legal system [time series]

English common law and local statutes

Legislative branch [time series]

description: unicameral Legislative Council (17 seats including the speaker and deputy speaker; 12 members directly elected in a single countrywide constituency by simple majority vote and 3 ex-officio members - the chief secretary, financial secretary, and attorney general; members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 13 October 2021 (next to be held in 2025) election results: vote - NA; seats - independent 12; composition - men 8, women 6, percent women 42.9% note: the Constitution Order provides for separate Island Councils for both Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]

note: as an overseas territory of the UK, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)

National holiday [time series]

Official birthday of King Charles III, April or June as designated by the governor

National symbol(s) [time series]

Saint Helena plover (bird)

Political parties [time series]

none

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age

Introduction

Background [time series]

Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory off the coast of Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean, and it consists of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha. Saint Helena: The island was uninhabited when the Portuguese first discovered it in 1502, and the British garrisoned troops on Saint Helena during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903. Saint Helena is one of the most remote populated places in the world. The British Government committed to building an airport on Saint Helena in 2005. After more than a decade of delays and construction, a commercial air service to South Africa via Namibia was inaugurated in 2017. The weekly service to Saint Helena from Johannesburg via Windhoek in Namibia takes just over six hours (including the refueling stop in Windhoek) and replaces the mail ship that had made a five-day journey to the island every three weeks. Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of NAPOLEON from Saint Helena. It served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support of transatlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s, the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the Falklands War. It remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic. The island hosts one of four dedicated ground antennas that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system -- the others are on Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory), Kwajalein (Marshall Islands), and at Cape Canaveral, Florida (US). NASA and the US Air Force also operate a Meter-Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT) on Ascension as part of the deep space surveillance system for tracking orbital debris, which can be a hazard to spacecraft and astronauts. Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough Islands. Tristan da Cunha, named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506), was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue NAPOLEON from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases a site for a meteorological station on Gough Island.

Military and Security

Military - note [time series]

defense is the responsibility of the UK

People and Society

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 14.3% (male 579/female 556) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 2,626/female 2,655) 65 years and over: 19.2% (2024 est.) (male 773/female 754)

Birth rate [time series]

9.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]

Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]

Current health expenditure [time series]

Death rate [time series]

8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Demographic profile [time series]

The vast majority of the population of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha live on Saint Helena. Ascension has no indigenous or permanent residents and is inhabited only by persons contracted to work on the island (mainly with the UK and US military or in the space and communications industries) or their dependents, while Tristan da Cunha the main island in a small archipelago has fewer than 300 residents. The population of Saint Helena consists of the descendants of 17th century British sailors and settlers from the East India Company, African slaves, and indentured servants and laborers from India, Indonesia, and China. Most of the population of Ascension are Saint Helenians, Britons, and Americans, while that of Tristan da Cunha descends from shipwrecked sailors and Saint Helenians. Change in Saint Helena s population size is driven by net outward migration. Since the 1980s, Saint Helena s population steadily has shrunk and aged as the birth rate has decreased and many working-age residents left for better opportunities elsewhere. The restoration of British citizenship in 2002 accelerated family emigration; from 1998 to 2008 alone, population declined by about 20%. In the 2010s, the population experienced some temporary growth, as foreigners and returning Saint Helenians, came to build an international airport, but numbers faded as the project reached completion and workers departed. With the airport fully operational, increased access to the remote island has the potential to boost tourism and fishing, provide more jobs for Saint Helenians domestically, and could encourage some ex-patriots to return home. In the meantime, however, Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha have to contend with the needs of an aging population. The elderly population of the islands has risen from an estimated 9.4% in 1998 to 18% in 2022.

Dependency ratios [time series]

total dependency ratio: 68.6 NA youth dependency ratio: 23.6 NA elderly dependency ratio: 45.1 NA potential support ratio: 2.2 (2021) NA

Drinking water source [time series]

improved: urban: NA rural: NA total: 99.1% of population unimproved: urban: NA rural: NA total: 0.9% of population (2020)

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

Ethnic groups [time series]

St. Helena 82.1%, UK 7.6%, South Africa 3.6%, Ascension 2.8%, other 3.9% (2021 est.) note: data represent population of Saint Helena by country of birth

Gross reproduction rate [time series]

0.78 (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 18.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) male: 21.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages [time series]

English

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 80.9 years (2024 est.) male: 78.1 years female: 83.9 years

Literacy [time series]

total population: NA male: NA female: NA

Major urban areas - population [time series]

1,000 JAMESTOWN (capital) (2018)

Median age [time series]

total: 45.1 years (2024 est.) male: 44.8 years female: 45.4 years

Nationality [time series]

noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian note: referred to locally as "Saints"

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Physician density [time series]

Population [time series]

total: 7,943 male: 3,978 female: 3,965 (2024 est.)

Population distribution [time series]

Population growth rate [time series]

0.1% (2024 est.)

Religions [time series]

Protestant 69.4% (includes Anglican 63.2%, Baptist 2.3%, Salvation Army 2%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.9%), Jehovah's Witness 3.8%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, New Apostolic 1.6%, other Christian 1.4%, other 1.1%, none 9%, unspecified 11.4% (2021 est.) note: data represent Saint Helena only

Sanitation facility access [time series]

improved: urban: NA rural: NA total: 100% of population unimproved: urban: NA rural: NA total: 0% of population (2020)

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.61 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 40.7% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.98% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

2 (2024)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix [time series]

VQ-H

Heliports [time series]

2 (2024)

Ports [time series]

total ports: 4 (2024) large: 1 medium: 1 small: 1 very small: 1 ports with oil terminals: 2 key ports: Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Georgetown, Jamestown, North Point

Roadways [time series]

total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km) paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) unpaved: 30 km (2002) (Saint Helena 20 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km)

Transportation - note [time series]

the new airport on Saint Helena opened for limited operations in July 2016, and the first commercial flight took place on 14 October 2017, marking the start of weekly air service between Saint Helena and South Africa via Namibia; the military airport on Ascension Island is closed to civilian traffic; there is no air connection to Tristan da Cunha and very limited sea connections making it one of the most isolated communities on the planet