Antigua & Barbuda profile

Demography and Health

Antigua and Barbuda is a very small Caribbean nation with a total population of 93,772 as of 2024, ranking 194 globally by size. The demographic profile is shaped by a modest birth rate of 11.8 per 1,000 people (2023) and a death rate of 6.89 per 1,000, yielding a natural increase that supports a young-to-middle-aged population structure. Life expectancy at birth is 77.6 years (2023), indicating relatively strong health outcomes for a small island economy. The under-5 mortality rate sits at 9.3 per 1,000 live births (2023), suggesting ongoing but uneven progress in child health and primary care. Net migration is a positive 9.0 (2024), implying net in-migration that can refresh the labor force but also stress public services if growth outpaces capacity. Health financing shows a moderate footprint: current health expenditure equals 5.73% of GDP (2022), and domestic general government health expenditure per capita, PPP, is about 824 international dollars (2022), signaling a government-led but still price-sensitive health system. The combination of high life expectancy, reasonable reproductive health indicators, and modest health spending highlights Antigua and Barbuda’s relatively favorable health status within a small-island context, while underscoring the need for sustained investment in health infrastructure to cope with shocks and aging trends.

Economy

Economic output per capita remains elevated for a small island economy, with GDP per capita (current US$) at 23,726 in 2024 and GDP per capita, PPP at 33,602 (2024). Inflation runs at 6.2% in 2024, signaling persistent price pressures that affect households and the cost of doing business. The economy shows a services-led export base, with exports of goods and services accounting for 54.7% of GDP in 2022, while imports absorb 63.0% of GDP in the same year, pointing to a high import dependence for consumer goods and intermediate inputs. The current account balance is negative at -8.15% of GDP in 2024, reflecting a financing gap that relies on capital inflows and external financing. Foreign direct investment, net inflows, stand at 12.2% of GDP in 2024, indicating a healthy level of foreign capital that can support tourism-related expansion, infrastructure, and services. Notably, high-technology exports are recorded as zero, suggesting limited domestic production of advanced manufactured goods and a reliance on tourism, hospitality, and light services as the growth engine. Taken together, Antigua and Barbuda benefits from a relatively high income level but remains vulnerable to external shocks, commodity price swings, and the cyclical nature of tourism demand, emphasizing the importance of diversification and resilient fiscal and monetary policy frameworks.

Trade and Investment

Trade and investment dynamics reflect a highly open economy with a significant services component. Exports of goods and services equal 54.7% of GDP (2022), underscoring the prominence of tourism, hospitality, and related services in external earnings, while imports at 63.0% of GDP (2022) indicate substantial reliance on external supplies for consumption and investment. Foreign direct investment, net inflows, amount to 12.2% of GDP in 2024, signaling strong investor interest and the potential to finance infrastructure and service-sector upgrades. The logistics and transport environment shows a Logistics Performance Index of 2.7 (2022) on a 1-to-5 scale, which is mid-range and indicates room for improvements in port efficiency, customs, and overall trade facilitation. With a negative current account and sizable import reliance, the country’s trade and investment strategy benefits from ongoing reforms to reduce transaction costs, strengthen property rights, and boost the competitiveness of tourism-linked sectors, while remaining sensitive to the health of regional and global demand for travel and services.

Governance and Institutions

Antigua and Barbuda demonstrates a relatively stable political environment, with Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism scoring 0.923 in 2023, suggesting low domestic political risk. Regulatory quality is moderate at 0.546, while the Rule of Law is weaker at 0.379, reflecting gaps in legal enforcement and institutional reliability that can affect business confidence and contract enforcement. Control of Corruption stands at 0.327, and Government Effectiveness at 0.38, both signaling mid-range administrative performance and some vulnerability to governance challenges common in small states with limited capacity. Taken together, the governance profile offers a generally stable macro context that can attract investment in services, tourism, and finance, but it also points to the need for governance reforms—strengthening judicial independence, regulatory predictability, and anti-corruption measures—to sustain broader private-sector development and public service delivery.

Infrastructure and Technology

Infrastructure and technology indicators show a country with solid digital reach but tangible gaps in physical and logistical capabilities. Internet penetration stands at 77.6% of the population in 2023, reflecting strong digital inclusion that can enable e-government services, online commerce, and remote work opportunities. The Logistics Performance Index score of 2.7 (2022) suggests mid-range quality of trade- and transport-related infrastructure, with potential gains from improving port efficiency, customs processes, and multimodal connectivity to reduce transaction times and costs. The absence of measurable high-technology exports (0 current US$) indicates limited advanced manufacturing or knowledge-intensive export sectors, though the digital base provides a platform for new services-oriented growth and tech-enabled tourism offerings. Overall, Antigua and Barbuda appears to have a workable but improvable infrastructure and technology landscape, where targeted investments in transport, digital services, and information systems could unlock higher productivity and resilience to external shocks.

Environment and Sustainability

Environmental dimensions reveal a heavy reliance on traditional energy sources, with renewable energy consumption making up only 0.9% of total final energy consumption in 2022, signaling a substantial opportunity for decarbonization and energy security enhancements. Water resources show modest stress, with a level of water stress at 8.46% of available freshwater withdrawn as of 2021, indicating manageable but non-trivial water-use pressures that could intensify with tourism growth and climate variability. Greenhouse gas emissions per capita exclude LULUCF at 4.16 t CO2e per person in 2023, a moderate level for a small island state that underscores the importance of ongoing mitigation and adaptation strategies. Given its vulnerability to climate change—strongly affected by hurricanes, sea-level rise, and coral-reef degradation—Antigua and Barbuda benefits from policies that accelerate renewable energy deployment, water conservation, coastal protection, and sustainable tourism practices to safeguard ecosystems and livelihoods while pursuing resilient growth.