Aruba

Aruba is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, off Venezuela’s coast. Its capital is Oranjestad.

Find Aruba

● 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.

At a glance

Capital: Oranjestad
Languages: Dutch & Papiamento
Currency: Aruban florin (AWG)
Population: 108,7852025 · World Bank
Area: 180 km²69.50 square miles
Separate country: 1986Autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Aruba in context

North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Oranjestad; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & languages

Physical geography

Flat with a few hills; scant vegetation.

Languages

Dutch and Papiamento are official languages. English and Spanish are also widely used.

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela.

Flag

Blue, with two narrow, horizontal yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper-left corner

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of the Netherlands · Kingdom structure

History & status

Aruba was inhabited by Indigenous communities before Spanish colonization. The Dutch took control in 1636. In 1986 Aruba left the Netherlands Antilles and obtained separate country status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This was internal autonomy, not full independence.

1636
Dutch control begins
1924
Oil refinery opens
1986
Aruba becomes a separate country within the Kingdom

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of the Netherlands · Kingdom structure

Economy

Main activities

Tourism dominates a service-based economy, supporting hotels, restaurants, transport and construction. Oil refining was historically important, but should not be confused with the island’s current main source of activity. Many consumer goods and food products are imported.

Industry and production

Accommodation, restaurants, retail and transport are closely tied to tourism.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of the Netherlands · Kingdom structure

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Thousands of people

108.82025 · thousands of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Thousands of people
1970	58,950	58.950
1980	59,909	59.909
1990	62,753	62.753
2000	90,588	90.588
2010	101,838	101.838
2020	108,587	108.587
2025	108,785	108.785

Real GDP, 1990–2024

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

3.72024 · 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

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	1,553,993,568	1.554
1991	1,677,736,082	1.678
1992	1,776,426,457	1.776
1993	1,906,242,253	1.906
1994	2,062,628,486	2.063
1995	2,115,166,597	2.115
1996	2,140,248,000	2.140
1997	2,291,068,601	2.291
1998	2,336,706,331	2.337
1999	2,365,635,733	2.366
2000	2,545,966,268	2.546
2001	2,652,438,619	2.652
2002	2,627,374,308	2.627
2003	2,656,551,420	2.657
2004	2,850,313,057	2.850
2005	2,839,392,434	2.839
2006	2,871,404,069	2.871
2007	2,960,117,373	2.960
2008	3,014,457,880	3.014
2009	2,662,437,285	2.662
2010	2,589,660,713	2.590
2011	2,676,912,524	2.677
2012	2,649,051,222	2.649
2013	2,819,423,913	2.819
2014	2,859,631,704	2.860
2015	2,962,906,704	2.963
2016	2,999,478,909	2.999
2017	3,104,263,601	3.104
2018	3,203,987,173	3.204
2019	3,243,368,792	3.243
2020	2,466,904,381	2.467
2021	2,832,837,378	2.833
2022	3,133,343,655	3.133
2023	3,431,523,925	3.432
2024	3,665,237,356	3.665

Government

An autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. An elected Parliament legislates on domestic matters, a Prime Minister leads the government, and 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

Knowledge check

Three questions about Aruba.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

Aruba is an autonomous country within which kingdom?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of the Netherlands · Kingdom structure

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.