Country Fast Facts: Trinidad & Tobago

First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century.

The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834.

Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry.
The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export.

Independence was attained in 1962.

The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing.

Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population:
1,056,608 (July 2007 est.)

---

Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.5% (male 105,994/female 100,156)
15-64 years: 71.6% (male 397,699/female 358,755)
65 years and over: 8.9% (male 42,039/female 51,965) (2007 est.)

---

Median age:
total: 31.8 years
male: 31.3 years
female: 32.3 years (2007 est.)

---

Population growth rate:
-0.883% (2007 est.)

---

Birth rate:
13.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

---

Death rate:
10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

---

Net migration rate:
-11.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

---

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.058 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.109 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.809 male(s)/female
total population: 1.068 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

---

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.33 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.15 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

---

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.85 years
male: 65.87 years
female: 67.87 years (2007 est.)

---

Total fertility rate:
1.74 children born/woman (2007 est.)

---

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.2% (2003 est.)

---

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
29,000 (2003 est.)

---

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,900 (2003 est.)

---

Nationality:
noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian

---

Ethnic groups:
Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)

---

Religions:
Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)

---

Languages:
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese

---

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99.1%
female: 98% (2003 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although it is not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. Economic growth in 2006 reached 12.6% as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas remained high, and foreign direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.

---

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$21.12 billion (2006 est.)

---

GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.9 billion (2006 est.)

---

GDP - real growth rate:
11.9% (2006 est.)

---

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$19,800 (2006 est.)

---

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.7%
industry: 57.7%
services: 41.5% (2006 est.)

---

Labor force:
618,000 (2006 est.)

---

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 est.)

---

Unemployment rate:
7% (2006 est.)

---

Population below poverty line:
21% (1992 est.)

---

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

---

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8% (2006 est.)

---

Investment (gross fixed):
19.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

---

Budget:
revenues: $6.591 billion
expenditures: $5.649 billion; including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (2006 est.)

---

Public debt:
36.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

---

Agriculture - products:
cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

---

Industries:
petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles

---

Industrial production growth rate:
17% (2006 est.)

---

Electricity - production:
6.049 billion kWh (2004)

---

Electricity - consumption:
5.626 billion kWh (2004)

---

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

---

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

---

Oil - production:
150,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

---

Oil - consumption:
34,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

---

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

---

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

---

Oil - proved reserves:
990 million bbl (1 January 2005)

---

Natural gas - production:
28.09 billion cu m (2004 est.)

---

Natural gas - consumption:
14.15 billion cu m (2004 est.)

---

Natural gas - exports:
13.94 billion cu m (2004 est.)

---

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

---

Natural gas - proved reserves:
733 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

---

Current account balance:
$3.259 billion (2006 est.)

---

Exports:
$12.5 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

---

Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers

---

Exports - partners:
US 60.4%, Jamaica 5.6%, Spain 5.4% (2006)

---

Imports:
$8.798 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

---

Imports - commodities:
machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals

---

Imports - partners:
US 26.9%, Venezuela 14.5%, Brazil 14.2%, Gabon 4.2%, Colombia 4.1% (2006)

---

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$6.888 billion (2006 est.)

---

Debt - external:
$2.838 billion (2006 est.)

---

Economic aid - recipient:
$24 million (1999 est.)

---

Currency (code):
Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

---

Exchange rates:
Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002)

---

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September