Bahamas is a country in Caribbean. Its capital is Nassau.
North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Nassau; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapThe Bahamas is an archipelago of low limestone islands and cays spread across shallow marine banks. Much of the country’s area is water rather than land. Channels separate shallow turquoise banks from deeper ocean waters.
Islands vary from narrow sandy cays to larger land areas such as Andros. Beaches, tidal creeks, mangroves and inland wetlands provide different local environments. The low relief means that coastal processes have a strong influence across much of the land.
The surrounding Atlantic waters moderate the islands’ temperatures. Summers are warmer, while northern islands experience a greater winter cooling than those farther south.
Reefs, seagrass and mangroves support rich marine habitats. Freshwater supplies can be limited on small islands. Hurricanes and storm surges are especially significant where land lies only a short distance above the sea.
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
This aerial photograph shows shallow reef water off northern Andros.
The island’s shore illustrates the low coastal setting of the Bahamas.
Photo: Rs3 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
English is the official language. Bahamian English and Creole varieties are widely used in everyday speech.
Haitian Creole is also spoken by communities with roots in Haiti. These different language traditions reflect migration as well as the Bahamas’ own settlement history.
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.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of The Bahamas · Hurricane Dorian
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.
tourism, banking, oil bunkering, maritime industries, transshipment and logistics, salt, aragonite, pharmaceuticals
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Government of The Bahamas · Hurricane Dorian
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| 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 |
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
| 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 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
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
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
Three questions about Bahamas.
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.
