Saint Martin

Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin

Central America and Caribbean Marigot

Population

33.1K

Area

50 km²

GDP

$649.21M

GDP Per Capita

N/A

Pop. Density

662/km²

Quick Facts

Currency

€euro(EUR)

Calling Code

+590

Timezone

UTC-04:00

Languages

French

Driving Side

right

Demonym

Saint Martin Islander

Background

Christopher COLUMBUS claimed Saint Martin for Spain in 1493, naming it after the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, but it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 to exploit its salt deposits. The Spanish retook Saint Martin in 1633, but the Dutch continued to assert their claims. The Spanish finally relinquished the island to the French and Dutch, who divided it between themselves in 1648. The border frequently fluctuated over the next 200 years because of friction between the two countries, with the French eventually holding the greater portion of the island (about 61%).

The cultivation of sugarcane introduced African slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939, and the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of Saint Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe, and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity. In 2010, the southern Dutch portion of the island became the independent nation of Sint Maarten within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Saint Martin, causing extensive damage to roads, communications, electrical power, and housing; the UN estimated that 90% of the buildings were damaged or destroyed.

Geography14

Location

Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; French part of the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean Sea; Saint Martin lies east of the US Virgin Islands

Geographic coordinates

18 05 N, 63 57 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total : 50 sq km
land: 50 sq km
water: negligible

Area - comparative

more than one-third the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries

total: 16 km
border countries: Sint Maarten 16 km

Coastline

58.9 km (for entire island)

Climate

temperature averages 27-29 degrees Celsius all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; hurricane season stretches from July to November

Elevation

highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources

salt

Land use

agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.)
forest: 24.8% (2022 est.)
other: 75.2% (2022 est.)

Population distribution

most of the population is found along the coast, with the largest concentration around the capital of Marigot, as well as Orleans and Grand-Case

Natural hazards

subject to hurricanes from July to November

Geography - note

note 1: the southern border is shared with Sint Maarten, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world that is shared by two self-governing states

note 2: Simpson Bay Lagoon (aka Simson Bay Lagoon or The Great Pond) is one of the largest inland lagoons in the West Indies; the border between the French and Dutch halves of the island runs across the center of the lagoon, which is shared by both of the island's entities

People & Society20

Population

total: 33,093 (2025 est.)
male: 15,825
female: 17,268

Ethnic groups

Creole (Mulatto), Black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asian), White, East Indian, other

Languages

Languages: French (official), Dutch, English, Guadeloupian Creole, Haitian Creole, Italian, Martiniquan Creole, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles), Spanish
major-language sample(s):
The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu

Age structure

0-14 years: 24.7% (male 4,039/female 4,100)
15-64 years: 64.5% (male 10,216/female 11,068)
65 years and over: 10.8% (2024 est.) (male 1,536/female 2,037)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 55.4 (2025 est.) N
youth dependency ratio: 38 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 17.4 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 5.7 (2025 est.)

Median age

total: 34.3 years (2025 est.)
male: 33.4 years
female: 34.9 years

Population growth rate

0.29% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Net migration rate

-6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Population distribution

most of the population is found along the coast, with the largest concentration around the capital of Marigot, as well as Orleans and Grand-Case

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 7.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 81 years (2024 est.)
male: 78 years
female: 84.2 years

Total fertility rate

1.8 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.88 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: total: total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP): 3.9% of GDP (2023 est.) NA
Education expenditure (% national budget): 23% national budget (2023 est.)

Government19

Country name

conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin
conventional short form: Saint Martin
local long form: Collectivité d'outre mer de Saint-Martin
local short form: Saint-Martin
etymology: explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island after Saint MARTIN of Tours during a visit on 11 November 1493, the saint's feast day

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Dependency status

overseas collectivity of France

Capital

name: Marigot
geographic coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: the name is taken from the French word marigot, meaning "backwater" or "swampy area;" it probably comes from the original fishing village's location next to a water-logged area on a lagoon

Legal system

French civil law

Constitution

history: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
amendment process: amendment procedures of France's constitution apply

Citizenship

see France

Suffrage

18 years of age, universal

Executive branch

chief of state

President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Cyrille LE VELY (since 10 February 2025)

head of government

President of Territorial Council Louis MUSSINGTON (since 3 April 2022)

cabinet

Executive Council, as well as an advisory economic, social, and cultural council

election/appointment process

French president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; president of Territorial Council elected by its members for a 5-year term

most recent election date

3 April 2022

election results

2022: Louis MUSSINGTON (RSM) elected president; Territorial Council vote - unanimous

2017: Daniel Gibbs (UD) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 18 of 23 votes

expected date of next election

2027

Legislative branch

legislature name

Territorial Council

legislative structure

unicameral

number of seats

23 (directly elected)

electoral system

plurality/majority

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

most recent election date

3/27/2022

parties elected and seats per party

RSM and Alternative (16); UD (5); HOPE, Saint Martin with You, and Future Saint Martin (2)

percentage of women in chamber

43.5%

expected date of next election

March 2027

Political parties

Alternative
Future Saint Martin (Avenir Saint Martin)
Generation Hope or HOPE
Rassemblement Saint-Martinois or RSM (formerly Movement for Justice and Prosperity or MJP)
Saint Martin with You
Union for Democracy or UD

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: none (overseas collectivity of France)

International organization participation

ACS (associate), UPU

Independence

none (overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)

Flag

the flag of France is used

National symbol(s)

brown pelican

National anthem(s)

title: "La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)
lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
history: official anthem, as a French collectivity

Economy9

Economic overview

high-income French Caribbean territorial economy; extremely reliant on tourism, with severe COVID-19 impacts; near-total destruction from Hurricane Irma in 2017; some offshore banking; import-dependent; duty-free commerce; yachting destination

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2021: 4.9% (2021 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2020: -12.5% (2020 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2019: 6.5% (2019 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$649.206 million (2021 est.)

Industries

tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry

Exports - partners

United States 35%, Netherlands 26%, Antigua and Barbuda 21%, France 10% (2019)

Exports - commodities

gold, special use vessels, furniture, scrap aluminum, rum (2019)

Imports - partners

United States 76%, Netherlands 7%, France 7% (2019)

Imports - commodities

jewelry, diamonds, pearls, recreational boats, cars (2019)

Exchange rates

Currency

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

0.924 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.925 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.95 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.845 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.876 (2020 est.)

Energy1

Electricity access

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

Communications4

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 68,840 (2012 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 196 (2012 est.)

Broadcast media

1 local TV station; access to about 20 radio stations, including RFO Guadeloupe radio broadcasts via repeater

Internet country code

.mf

Internet users

percent of population: 48.5% (2022 est.)

Transportation1

Airports

1 (2025)

Military & Security2

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Ministry of Justice: Police Force of Sint Maaten (Korps Politie Sint Marteen, KPSM) (2025)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues1

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees: 156 (2024 est.)

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