01
Physical geography
Generally low, hilly terrain.
Local timeWillemstad ·
North America / Caribbean · Card 013
Curaçao
Curaçao is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the southern Caribbean. Its capital is Willemstad.
Find Curaçao
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Willemstad
- Languages
- Dutch, Papiamentu & English
- Currency
- Caribbean guilder (XCG)
- Population
- 156,2632025 · World Bank
- Area
- 444 km²171.43 square miles
- Autonomous country
- 2010Within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Curaçao in context
North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Willemstad; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Dutch, Papiamentu and English are official languages.
03
Location
Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea, 55 km off the coast of Venezuela.
Flag
On a blue field, a horizontal yellow band divides the flag below the center; two five-pointed white stars -- the smaller above and to the left of the larger -- appear in the upper left
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of the Netherlands · Kingdom structure · Central Bank · Caribbean guilder
History & status
Indigenous communities lived on Curaçao before Spanish colonization and Dutch conquest in 1634. The island became a center of the transatlantic slave trade. Slavery was abolished in 1863. Curaçao became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10 October 2010.
-
Dutch control begins
-
Slavery is abolished
-
Autonomous country status within the Kingdom begins
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of the Netherlands · Kingdom structure · Central Bank · Caribbean guilder
Economy
Main activities
Tourism, financial and business services, port activity and trade are important. Oil refining shaped the island’s industrial history, but refinery activity has varied and is not treated here as a current production total. The Caribbean guilder became legal tender in 2025.
Industry and production
Tourism, port services, international business, trade and construction support the economy.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of the Netherlands · Kingdom structure · Central Bank · Caribbean guilder
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Thousands of people156.32025 · thousands of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Thousands of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 144,739 | 144.739 |
| 1980 | 148,041 | 148.041 |
| 1990 | 145,400 | 145.400 |
| 2000 | 133,860 | 133.860 |
| 2010 | 148,703 | 148.703 |
| 2020 | 155,482 | 155.482 |
| 2025 | 156,263 | 156.263 |
Real GDP, 2000–2024
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars2.82024 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,881,155,240 | 2.881 |
| 2001 | 2,861,109,496 | 2.861 |
| 2002 | 2,872,469,966 | 2.872 |
| 2003 | 2,880,748,042 | 2.881 |
| 2004 | 2,886,753,280 | 2.887 |
| 2005 | 2,906,280,011 | 2.906 |
| 2006 | 2,953,824,854 | 2.954 |
| 2007 | 3,026,783,242 | 3.027 |
| 2008 | 3,093,010,563 | 3.093 |
| 2009 | 3,076,577,143 | 3.077 |
| 2010 | 3,079,109,369 | 3.079 |
| 2011 | 3,094,765,331 | 3.095 |
| 2012 | 3,083,966,122 | 3.084 |
| 2013 | 3,064,361,445 | 3.064 |
| 2014 | 3,044,829,285 | 3.045 |
| 2015 | 3,058,779,218 | 3.059 |
| 2016 | 3,026,120,373 | 3.026 |
| 2017 | 2,987,500,779 | 2.988 |
| 2018 | 2,924,640,437 | 2.925 |
| 2019 | 2,830,872,595 | 2.831 |
| 2020 | 2,308,903,012 | 2.309 |
| 2021 | 2,405,500,822 | 2.406 |
| 2022 | 2,571,624,722 | 2.572 |
| 2023 | 2,679,684,375 | 2.680 |
| 2024 | 2,814,389,433 | 2.814 |
Government
An autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. An elected Parliament and a Prime Minister-led government handle domestic affairs. A Governor represents the monarch; defence and some external affairs are Kingdom responsibilities.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of the Netherlands · Kingdom structure · Central Bank · Caribbean guilder
Knowledge check
Three questions about Curaçao.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
What is Curaçao’s political status?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of the Netherlands · Kingdom structure · Central Bank · Caribbean guilder
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.