British Overseas Territories
What are the Territories?
The OTs have an estimated population of 270,000 people, most of whom are British citizens. Pitcairn and South Georgia and the South Sandwick Islands are the populated Territories with the smallest population, whilst the Cayman Islands and Bermuda have the largest population.
The diversity of the Territories
While the Conservative Friends of Overseas Territories considers the Territories together, they have diverse geographies, environments, economies, populations, political systems, strategic importance to the UK, and history.
Bermuda, for example, has a two-chamber parliament, a population of 64,000, a higher Gross Domestic Product per person than the UK, and is economically self-sufficient from the UK with a strong tourist economy and financial sector, though faces threats from hurricanes.
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, in contrast, is a single Territory with three political systems for each island united under the same Governor, a total population of 6,000, is one of only three UK Territories eligible for UK aid, and has only fortnightly air flights to South Africa.
Like small island developing states, many of the Territories are highly vulnerable to natural disasters and experience development challenges, including in access to finance and being remote from trade and markets.
| Headline statistics for the fourteen Territories | |
|---|---|
| Anguilla | Population: 16,000 (2021) Land area: 90km km² Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US $288 million (2021) GDP per person: US $18,300 (2021) Main industries: Tourism represents 80% of GDP once all direct impacts are included (2017 data) |
| Akrotiri & Dhekelia | Population: 18,195 (2020) Land area: 254 km² Main industries: The main economic activities are the provision of services to the military, as well as limited agriculture. |
| Bermuda | Population: 64,000 (2021). The second largest OT Land area: 54 km² GDP: US $8,150 million (2021). The highest among the OTs. Main industries: International business (28% of GDP), real estate (15%), financial and insurance activities (14%) (2021). |
| British Virgin Islands | Population: 31,000 (2021) Land area: 150 km² GDP: US $1,650 million (2021) GDP per person: US $53,100 (2021) Main industries: Financial services (22% of Gross Value Added in 2024), accommodation and food (12%) and public administration (12%) and professional services (11%). |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | Population: 4,000 U.S. and British military and contract civilian personnel Land area: 54,000 km² Main industries: a high level of specialization in Non-fillet Frozen Fish, Fish: dried, salted, smoked or in brine, Carbon Paper, Documents of title (bonds etc) and unused stamps, and Tea. |
| British Antarctic Territory | Population: – Land area: 1,709 million km² Main industries: the sale of stamps and coins and income tax from British Antarctic Survey scientists and others. |
| Cayman Islands | Population: 81,546 (2022) Land area: 264 km² Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US $6,750 million (2021) GDP per person: US $99,000 (2021). The second highest among the OTs. Main industries: Financial and insurance services (34% of GDP in 2020), professional, scientific and technical activities (15%) and real estate (9%). |
| Falkland Islands | Population: 3,662 (2021) Land area: 12,173 km² Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US $206.4 million (2015) GDP per person: US $70,800 (2015) Main industries: Fisheries (52.5%), Government (including health and education), (14.0%) Communications, (11.4%) Finance and Business services, (7.7%) Hospitality & Transport. |
| Gibraltar | Population: 34,003 (2020) Land area: 10km² Gross Domestic Product (GDP): £2.4 (2020/21) GDP per person: £71,000 (2020/21) Main industries: Financial services and gaming constitutes 40%. |
| Montserrat | Population: 4,390 (2022) Land area: 102 km² Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US $70 million (2021) GDP per person: US $16,199(2021) Main industries: The public sector contributes the majority of GDP. There are small tourist and agriculture sectors. |
| Pitcairn Islands | Population: 40 (2022) Land area: 47 km² Main industries: These are small: Tourism, honey, agriculture, fishing, international sale of postage stamps, internet dominion registration. |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Population: 59,367 (2023) Land area: 950 km² Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US $1,060 million (2021) GDP per person: US $20,500 (2021) Main industries: Wholesale and retail trade (44% of GDP), hotels and restaurants (25%), real estate, renting, business activities (10%) (2020) |
| Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | Population: 5,000 (2021) Land area: 390 km² Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US $51.5 million (2020/21) GDP per person: US $11,370 (2020/21) Main industries: Government (49% of GDP), finance and communication (16%) wholesale and retail trade (13%) (2020/21) |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Population: 35 (2019) Land area: 4,190 km² |