Jersey

Bailiwick of Jersey

Europe Saint Helier

Population

103.9K

Area

116 km²

GDP

$12.51B

GDP Per Capita

N/A

Pop. Density

896/km²

Quick Facts

Currency

£British pound(GBP)

Calling Code

+44

Timezone

UTC+01:00

Languages

English, French, Jèrriais

Driving Side

left

Demonym

Channel Islander

Background

Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil that Germany occupied in World War II. The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency, which means that it is not part of the UK but is rather a self-governing possession of the British Crown. However, the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.

Geography17

Location

Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France

Geographic coordinates

49 15 N, 2 10 W

Map references

Europe

Area

total : 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

about two-thirds the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

70 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate

temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Terrain

gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast

Elevation

highest point: Les Platons 136 m
lowest point: English Channel 0 m

Natural resources

arable land

Land use

agricultural land

43.3% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 18.3% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 24.9% (2022 est.)

forest

5.2% (2022 est.)

other

51.6% (2022 est.)

Irrigated land

Population distribution

fairly even distribution

Natural hazards

very large tidal variation can be hazardous to navigation

Geography - note

largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier

People & Society21

Population

total: 103,944 (2025 est.)
male: 51,317
female: 52,627

Nationality

noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups

Jersey 44.4%, British 30.5%, Portuguese/Madeiran 9.4%, Polish 3%, Irish 2.1%, other 10.6% (2021 est.)

Languages

English (official) 94.5%, Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (includes French (official) and Jerriais)

(2001 est.)

Religions

Christian 85.2%, Baha'i 0.3%, Hindu 0.1%, Jewish 0.1%, Muslim 0.1%, atheist 1.1%, agnostic 13.1% (2020 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 17% (male 9,082/female 8,530)
15-64 years: 64.6% (male 33,840/female 32,989)
65 years and over: 18.3% (2024 est.) (male 8,106/female 10,840)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 56 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 26.8 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 29.2 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 3.4 (2025 est.)

Median age

total: 38.5 years (2025 est.)
male: 37 years
female: 39.7 years

Population growth rate

0.51% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

11.97 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Net migration rate

0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

fairly even distribution

Urbanization

urban population: 31.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

34,000 SAINT HELIER (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 4.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 83 years (2024 est.)
male: 80.6 years
female: 85.7 years

Total fertility rate

1.66 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.81 (2025 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: total: total: 98.5% of population

Government22

Country name

conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey
former: Norman Isles
etymology: the name is of Old Norse origin, with -ey meaning "island;" "Jer(s)" may derive from a person with the Scandinavian name Geirr, meaning "spear"

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Assembly of the States of Jersey)

Dependency status

British crown dependency

Capital

name: Saint Helier
geographic coordinates: 49 11 N, 2 06 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
etymology: named after Saint HELIER, the patron saint of Jersey, who was reputedly martyred on the island in A.D. 555

Administrative divisions

no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but 12 parishes; Grouville, Saint Brelade, Saint Clement, Saint Helier, Saint John, Saint Lawrence, Saint Martin, Saint Mary, Saint Ouen, Saint Peter, Saint Saviour, Trinity

Legal system

the laws of the UK apply, as well as local statutes

Constitution

history: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
amendment process: proposed by a government minister to the Assembly of the States of Jersey, by an Assembly member, or by an elected parish head; passage requires several Assembly readings, a majority vote by the Assembly, review by the UK Ministry of Justice, and approval of the British monarch (Royal Assent)

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Lieutenant Governor Jerry KYD (since 8 October 2022)
head of government: Chief Minister Lyndon FARNHAM (since 25 January 2024); Bailiff Timothy Le COCQ (since 17 October 2019)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed individually by the states
election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; Council of Ministers, including the chief minister, indirectly elected by the Assembly of States; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch

legislature name

Assembly of the States of Jersey

legislative structure

unicameral

number of seats

54 (49 directly elected, 5 appointed)

term in office

4 years

most recent election date

6/22/2022

parties elected and seats per party

BW (35); RJ (10); JLC (2); JA (1); PP (1)

percentage of women in chamber

42.9%

expected date of next election

2026

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Jersey Court of Appeal (consists of the bailiff, deputy bailiff, and 12 judges); Royal Court (consists of the bailiff, deputy bailiff, 6 commissioners and lay people referred to as jurats, and is organized into Heritage, Family, Probate, and Samedi Divisions); appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
judge selection and term of office: Jersey Court of Appeal bailiffs and judges appointed by the Crown upon the advice of the Secretary of State for Justice; bailiffs and judges appointed for "extent of good behavior;" Royal Court bailiffs appointed by the Crown upon the advice of the Secretary of State for Justice; commissioners appointed by the bailiff; jurats appointed by the Electoral College; bailiffs and commissioners appointed for "extent of good behavior;" jurats appointed until retirement at age 72
subordinate courts: Magistrate's Court; Youth Court; Petty Debts Court; Parish Hall Enquiries (a process of preliminary investigation into youth and minor adult offenses to determine need for presentation before a court)

Political parties

Better Way or BW (group of independent candidates)
Jersey Alliance or JA
Jersey Liberal Conservatives or JLC
Progress Party or PP
Reform Jersey or RJ

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (British Crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: none (British Crown dependency)

International organization participation

UPU

Independence

none (British Crown dependency)

National holiday

Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Flag

description: white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; a red shield with three lions in yellow is in the upper triangle, with a yellow crown above

history: according to tradition, Jersey ships differentiated themselves from English ships that flew the horizontal cross of St. George by rotating their own cross to the "X" (saltire) configuration; this arrangement resembled the Irish cross of St. Patrick, so the Plantagenet crown and Jersey coat of arms were added

National symbol(s)

Jersey cow

National color(s)

red, white

National anthem(s)

title: "God Save the King"
lyrics/music: unknown
history: official anthem, as a British Crown dependency

Economy16

Economic overview

British territorial island economy; strong offshore banking and finance sectors; low asset taxation; strong tourism sector prior to COVID-19 and Brexit; one of the most expensive places to live; minimal welfare system; historical cider industry

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2016: $5.569 billion (2016 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015: $5.514 billion (2015 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2014: $4.98 billion (2014 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2023: 3.7% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 5.3% (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2021: 9.9% (2021 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$12.508 billion (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 0.6% (2023 est.)
industry: 8.2% (2023 est.)
services: 91.2% (2023 est.)

Agricultural products

potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products

Industries

tourism, banking and finance, dairy, electronics

Industrial production growth rate

1.3% (2023 est.)

Labor force

82,400 (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2024: 6.3% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 6.2% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 6.2% (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 14.1% (2024 est.)
male: 14.2% (2024 est.)
female: 13.9% (2024 est.)

Exports - partners

almost entirely United Kingdom (2022)

Exports - commodities

refined petroleum, beverages, ships, jewelry, artwork (2022)

Imports - partners

almost entirely United Kingdom (2022)

Imports - commodities

artwork, ships, vegetables, fruits, jewelry (2022)

Exchange rates

Currency

Jersey pounds (JEP) per US dollar

Exchange rates 2024

0.782 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.805 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.811 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.727 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.78 (2020 est.)

Energy1

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)

Communications6

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 48,223 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 129,368 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 125 (2023 est.)

Broadcast media

multiple UK terrestrial TV broadcasts are received via a transmitter in Jersey; satellite packages available; BBC Radio Jersey and 1 other radio station operating

Internet country code

.je

Internet users

percent of population: 41% (2012 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 39,699 (2020 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 37 (2020 est.)