Economy of Saint Helena

Last updated

Saint Helena Airport Saint Helena Airport terminal building.jpg
Saint Helena Airport

The economy of Saint Helena is based on export income from coffee, tourism, fishing, and sales of alcoholic liqueurs. Unemployment is very low in Saint Helena; the February 2016 Census stated that 76 people declared that they were unemployed (with 10 claiming unemployment benefit) compared to an economically active population of 2,539 and a total population of 4,534. [1] Saint Helena is one of four countries which depend on financial assistance from the United Kingdom, which amounted to about £22.5 million in 2016–17. This supplements the £12.6 million raised from local tax revenues. [2]

Contents

The international airport has been open for private jets and Medivac services since 2016. A scheduled commercial air service began in October 2017. With a total investment of £285m the airport is the largest single investment ever made in the island. Until 2016, the only way to reach the island was by boat. The last working Royal Mail Ship made its final voyage serving St Helena in 2018. [3]

Saint Helena's gross domestic product (GDP) for the 2018–19 financial year was £38.5 million and GDP per capita was £7,392 and GNP per capita was £8,230. [4] In 2019, there was an annual rate of inflation of 3.3%, and a median employment income was £8,410. [5]

The major private sector employers of the islands are Solomons and Co and Thorpes, both providing services in almost all sectors.

The government's economic development priorities are developing a sustainable tourism industry and reducing dependency on imports. [6]

Industry

Saint Helena has several sectors in its economy: fisheries, agriculture (including coffee), construction, retail, and accommodation and food service industries.

Workforce

In 2016, Saint Helena had a workforce of 2,539. [7] Many St Helenians take up jobs in Ascension Island, the Falklands and the UK.

Electricity

Wind Turbines on the Deadwood Plain WES turbines on Deadwood Plain.jpg
Wind Turbines on the Deadwood Plain

75% of St Helena's power currently comes from 6 diesel generators, [8] but the island is working towards a 100% renewable energy target. There are currently 12 wind turbines grouped on the Deadwood Plain in Longwood, which generate approximately 20% of the island's needs and several photovoltaic arrays which provide the balance. The rifle range solar farm in Half Tree Hollow currently has the largest output of the solar systems with 500 kWh. [9]

Agriculture

The main agricultural products of Saint Helena are: coffee, fish (predominantly tuna), potatoes, vegetables; timber.

Tourism

Since the opening of the airport to regular commercial air traffic in 2017, the tourism sector has seen growth. There were 1,350 tourists visiting the island in 2017 and 2,485 in 2019, an increase of over 80% with almost all of the visitors arriving by air. There has been a corresponding steady increase of tourist rooms and other tourism-related infrastructure. Tourism is the largest export sector, valued at 5 to 6 million a year. [10] In 2020, the international closures resulting from COVID-19 pandemic halted tourism at end of the high season. [11]

Exports

The 2019–20 customs data shows the following exports:


The ship jetty at Ruperts Bay near Jamestown Ship jetty in Ruperts.jpg
The ship jetty at Ruperts Bay near Jamestown

In 2019, export of products totalled £354,000. [12]

Imports

The fuel offloading apparatus at Ruperts Beach at Ruperts Bay.jpg
The fuel offloading apparatus at Ruperts

Food and other goods are imported from Cape Town, South Africa and the UK (via Ascension). Shipping is run by AW Ship Management Ltd. Packages can be sent via Rich James International or by Royal H.M. Mail (by Royal Mail anything under 2kg will go by air). Wharf services are provided by Solomons. The trade deficit is significant. In 2019–20 St Helena imported £19.8m in goods, mostly purchased from South Africa (46%) and the United Kingdom (41%). [13]

Currency

The local currency is the Saint Helena pound, which is at a par with the British Pound. The government issues its own coins and banknotes. British pounds are accepted in Saint Helena.

Banking services on Saint Helena are provided by the Bank of St. Helena, which delivers a retail banking service to individuals and business in, and trading with, Saint Helena.

There is no ATM on the island, so cash must be withdrawn from the Bank of Saint Helena cashiers in Jamestown (Monday-Saturday) or at Customs at the wharf (Thursday-Friday). Trials of local debit cards by the bank of Saint Helena began in 2016. [14]

History

In 1957 the price of land on the island was thought to be between £10 and £15 an acre. Eggs were 3 shillings a dozen and bread was 6d for a 1 1/2lb loaf. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Costa Rica</span>

The economy of Costa Rica has been very stable for some years now, with continuing growth in the GDP and moderate inflation, though with a high unemployment rate: 11.49% in 2019. Costa Rica's economy emerged from recession in 1997 and has shown strong aggregate growth since then. The estimated GDP for 2023 is US$90 billion, up significantly from the US$52.6 billion in 2015 while the estimated 2024 per capita is US$28,558.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Cyprus</span>

The economy of Cyprus is a high-income economy as classified by the World Bank, and was included by the International Monetary Fund in its list of advanced economies in 2001. Cyprus adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2008, replacing the Cypriot pound at an irrevocable fixed exchange rate of CYP 0.585274 per €1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of the Dominican Republic</span>

The economy of the Dominican Republic is the seventh largest in Latin America, and is the largest in the Caribbean and Central American region. The Dominican Republic is an upper-middle income developing country with important sectors including mining, tourism, manufacturing, energy, real estate, infrastructure, telecommunications and agriculture. The Dominican Republic is on track to achieve its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2030, and is expected to grow 79% in this decade. The country is the site of the single largest gold mine in Latin America, the Pueblo Viejo mine.Although the service sector is currently the leading employer of Dominicans, agriculture remains an important sector in terms of the domestic market and is in second place in terms of export earnings. Tourism accounts for more than $7.4 billion in annual earnings in 2019. Free-trade zone earnings and tourism are the fastest-growing export sectors. A leading growth engine in the Free-trade zone sector is the production of medical equipment for export having a value-added per employee of $20,000 USD, total revenue of $1.5 billion USD, and a growth rate of 7.7% in 2019. The medical instrument export sector represents one of the highest-value added sectors of the country's economy, a true growth engine for the country's emerging market. Remittances are an important sector of the economy, contributing $8.2 billion in 2020. Most of these funds are used to cover household expenses, such as housing, food, clothing, health care and education. Secondarily, remittances have financed businesses and productive activities. Thirdly, this combined effect has induced investment by the private sector and helps fund the public sector through its value-added tax. The combined import market including the free-trade-zones amounts to a market of $20 billion a year in 2019. The combined export sector had revenues totaling $11 billion in 2019. The consumer market is equivalent to $61 billion in 2019. An important indicator is the average commercial loan interest rate, which directs short-term investment and stimulates long-term investment in the economy. It is currently 8.30%, as of June 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Jamaica</span>

The economy of Jamaica is heavily reliant on services, accounting for 71% of the country's GDP. Jamaica has natural resources and a climate conducive to agriculture and tourism. The discovery of bauxite in the 1940s and the subsequent establishment of the bauxite-alumina industry shifted Jamaica's economy from sugar, and bananas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Jersey</span>

The economy of Jersey is a highly developed social market economy. It is largely driven by international financial services and legal services, which accounted for 39.5% of total GVA in 2019, a 4% increase on 2018. Jersey is considered to be an offshore financial centre. Jersey has the preconditions to be a microstate, but it is a self-governing Crown dependency of the UK. It is considered to be a corporate tax haven by many organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Mauritius</span>

The economy of Mauritius is a mixed developing economy based on agriculture, exports, financial services, and tourism. Since the 1980s, the government of Mauritius has sought to diversify the country's economy beyond its dependence on just agriculture, particularly sugar production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Nicaragua</span>

The economy of Nicaragua is focused primarily on the agricultural sector. Nicaragua itself is the least developed country in Central America, and the second poorest in the Americas by nominal GDP. In recent years, under the administrations of Daniel Ortega, the Nicaraguan economy has expanded somewhat, following the Great Recession, when the country's economy actually contracted by 1.5%, due to decreased export demand in the American and Central American markets, lower commodity prices for key agricultural exports, and low remittance growth. The economy saw 4.5% growth in 2010 thanks to a recovery in export demand and growth in its tourism industry. Nicaragua's economy continues to post growth, with preliminary indicators showing the Nicaraguan economy growing an additional 5% in 2011. Consumer Price inflation have also curtailed since 2008, when Nicaragua's inflation rate hovered at 19.82%. In 2009 and 2010, the country posted lower inflation rates, 3.68% and 5.45%, respectively. Remittances are a major source of income, equivalent to 15% of the country's GDP, which originate primarily from Costa Rica, the United States, and European Union member states. Approximately one million Nicaraguans contribute to the remittance sector of the economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of the Republic of the Congo</span>

The economy of the Republic of the Congo is a mixture of subsistence hunting and agriculture, an industrial sector based largely on petroleum extraction and support services. Government spending is characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Petroleum has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. Nowadays the Republic of the Congo is increasingly converting natural gas to electricity rather than burning it, greatly improving energy prospects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Rwanda</span>

The economy of Rwanda has undergone rapid industrialisation due to a successful governmental policy. It has a mixed economy. Since the early-2000s, Rwanda has witnessed an economic boom, which improved the living standards of many Rwandans. The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has noted his ambition to make Rwanda the "Singapore of Africa". The industrial sector is growing, contributing 16% of GDP in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Helena</span> British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean

Saint Helena is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Saint Lucia</span>

Once a single-crop agricultural economy, Saint Lucia has shifted to a tourism and banking serviced-based economy. Tourism, the island's biggest industry and main source of jobs, income and foreign exchange, accounts for 65% of its GDP. Agriculture, which was once the biggest industry, now contributes to less than 3% of GDP, but still accounts for 20% of jobs. The banana industry is now on a decline due to strong competition from low-cost Latin American producers and reduced European trade preferences, but the government has helped revitalize the industry, with 13,734 tonnes exported in 2018. Agricultural crops grown for export are bananas, mangoes, and avocados. The island is considered to have the most diverse and well-developed manufacturing industry in the eastern Caribbean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Seychelles</span>

The economy of Seychelles is based on fishing, tourism, processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir rope, boat building, printing, furniture and beverages. Agricultural products include cinnamon, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas, poultry and tuna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of the United Arab Emirates</span>

The United Arab Emirates is a high-income developing market economy. The UAE's economy is the 4th largest in the Middle East, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$415 billion in 2021-2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of the United States Virgin Islands</span>

The economy of the United States Virgin Islands is primarily dependent upon tourism, trade, and other services, accounting for nearly 60% of the Virgin Island's GDP and about half of total civilian employment. Close to two million tourists per year visit the islands. The government is the single largest employer. The agriculture sector is small, with most food being imported. The manufacturing sector consists of rum distilling, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. Rum production is significant. Shipments during a six-month period of fiscal year 2016 totaled 8,136.6 million proof gallons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Albania</span>

The economy of Albania went through a process of transition from a centralized economy to a market-based economy on the principles of the free market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Madagascar</span>

The economy of Madagascar is US$9.769 billion by gross domestic product as of 2020, being a market economy and is supported by an agricultural industry and emerging tourism, textile and mining industries. Malagasy agriculture produces tropical staple crops such as rice and cassava, as well as cash crops such as vanilla and coffee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis</span>

The economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis has traditionally depended on the growing and processing of sugar cane; decreasing world prices have hurt the industry in recent years. Tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking activity have assumed larger roles in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Most food is imported. The government has undertaken a program designed to revitalize the faltering sugar sector. It is also working to improve revenue collection in order to better fund social programs. In 1997, some leaders in Nevis were urging separation from Saint Kitts on the basis that Nevis was paying far more in taxes than it was receiving in government services, but the vote on cessation failed in August 1998. In late September 1998, Hurricane Georges caused approximately $445 million in damages and limited GDP growth for the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Papua New Guinea</span>

The economy of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is largely underdeveloped with the vast majority of the population living below the poverty line. However, according to the Asian Development Bank its GDP is expected to grow 3.4% in 2022 and 4.6% in 2023. It is dominated by the agricultural, forestry, and fishing sector and the minerals and energy extraction sector. The agricultural, forestry, and fishing sector accounts for most of the labour force of PNG while the minerals and energy extraction sector, including gold, copper, oil and natural gas is responsible for most of the export earnings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Helena Airport</span> Airport in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena

Saint Helena Airport is an international airport on Saint Helena, a remote island in the south Atlantic Ocean, in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Cape Verde</span>

The economy of Cape Verde is a service-oriented economy that is focused on commerce, trade, transport and public services. Cape Verde is a small archipelagic nation that lacks resources and has experienced severe droughts. Agriculture is made difficult by lack of rain and is restricted to only four islands for most of the year. Cape Verde's economy has been steadily growing since the late 1990s, and it is now officially considered a country of average development, being only the second African country to have achieved such transition, after Botswana in 1994. Cape Verde has significant cooperation with Portugal at every level of the economy, which has led it to link its currency first to the Portuguese escudo and, in 1999, to the euro.

References

  1. ""St Helena Census, 2016"".
  2. ""Budget Book 2016-17"" (PDF).
  3. ""Extended Schedule"".
  4. ""Stats News Bulletin"".
  5. "St Helena Government Sustainable Economic Development Plan 2019-2020 End of Year Progress Report p. 5" (PDF). St Helena Government. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  6. "St Helena Government Sustainable Economic Development Plan 2019-2020 End of Year Progress Report p 4" (PDF). St Helena Government. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  7. ""St Helena Census, 2016"".
  8. "Connect Saint Helena". Connect Saint Helena. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  9. ""Sunny Portal, 2017"".
  10. "SEDP 2019-2020 EOY Progress Report, p. 15" (PDF). St Helena Government. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  11. "SEDP 2019-2020 End of Year Progress Report, p. 9" (PDF). St Helena Government. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  12. "SEDP 2019-2020 EOY Progress Report p.4" (PDF). St Helena Government. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  13. "SEDP 2019-2020 EOY Progress Report, p. 15" (PDF). St Helena Government. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  14. ""Sentinel"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  15. "Advice to Europeans in 1957" (PDF). St Helena Blog. Retrieved 6 March 2020.