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North America / Caribbean · Card 004

Bahamas

Bahamas is a country in Caribbean. Its capital is Nassau.

Find Bahamas

● 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: Nassau
Languages: English
Currency: Bahamian dollar (BSD)
Population: 403,0332025 · World Bank
Area: 13,943 km²5,383.42 square miles
Independence: 1973from the UK

Bahamas in context

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

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & languages

Physical geography

Long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills.

Languages

Languages used in public life include English.

Location

chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba; note - although The Bahamas does not border the Caribbean Sea, geopolitically it is often designated as a Caribbean nation.

Flag

Three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the left side

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of The Bahamas · Hurricane Dorian

History & independence

The Lucayan people lived in the islands before European colonization. British settlement and a plantation economy followed. The Bahamas gained independence through constitutional negotiations on 10 July 1973, retaining the British monarch as head of state within its own constitutional system.

1647
British settlement begins
1973
Independence from Britain
2019
Hurricane Dorian causes severe damage in Abaco and Grand Bahama

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of The Bahamas · Hurricane Dorian

Economy

Main activities

Tourism and international financial services are central to the economy. Hotels, cruise visits, transport and construction support employment. The scattered islands depend on imports and are vulnerable to hurricanes.

Industry and production

tourism, banking, oil bunkering, maritime industries, transshipment and logistics, salt, aragonite, pharmaceuticals

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of The Bahamas · Hurricane Dorian

Population & economic trends

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

Population, 1970–2025

Thousands of people

403.02025 · 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	184,982	184.982
1980	232,526	232.526
1990	275,945	275.945
2000	323,835	323.835
2010	367,478	367.478
2020	395,863	395.863
2025	403,033	403.033

Real GDP, 1990–2024

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

13.62024 · 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	8,553,048,576	8.553
1991	8,195,378,472	8.195
1992	7,881,857,524	7.882
1993	7,906,118,401	7.906
1994	8,155,075,426	8.155
1995	8,512,165,957	8.512
1996	8,871,679,871	8.872
1997	8,985,925,213	8.986
1998	9,409,773,204	9.410
1999	10,082,017,179	10.082
2000	10,500,261,526	10.500
2001	10,775,999,425	10.776
2002	11,067,485,495	11.067
2003	10,927,491,025	10.927
2004	11,023,912,337	11.024
2005	11,398,293,683	11.398
2006	11,685,142,255	11.685
2007	11,854,121,086	11.854
2008	11,578,673,031	11.579
2009	11,095,213,868	11.095
2010	11,265,931,762	11.266
2011	11,335,011,159	11.335
2012	11,847,358,069	11.847
2013	11,508,144,416	11.508
2014	11,720,696,406	11.721
2015	11,837,600,000	11.838
2016	11,700,697,196	11.701
2017	12,095,174,366	12.095
2018	12,385,211,217	12.385
2019	12,281,350,586	12.281
2020	9,814,105,057	9.814
2021	11,540,027,214	11.540
2022	12,795,339,943	12.795
2023	13,185,372,845	13.185
2024	13,630,862,492	13.631

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.820Very High human developmentRank 66 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.762

20000.787

20100.801

20200.797

20230.820

74.6 yearsLife expectancy at birth

12.8 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A parliamentary constitutional monarchy. A Governor-General represents the monarch, a Prime Minister heads the government, and Parliament comprises the elected House of Assembly and an appointed Senate.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of The Bahamas · Hurricane Dorian

Knowledge check

Three questions about Bahamas.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

What is the capital of the Bahamas?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of The Bahamas · Hurricane Dorian

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.