Languages spoken in Dominica
Roseau
71946
The main language spoken in Dominica is:
English - the sole official language.
French patois (Antillean Creole) - widely spoken informally, reflecting the island''s history of French and British colonial influence.
The Kalinago (Carib) people, the last pre-Columbian population remaining in the Caribbean, also maintain elements of their own language alongside English and Creole.
English is the sole official language of Dominica.
| Geography |
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about half way between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 750-751 sq km
| People |
Population: 65,538-74,661 (varies significantly by source; 2024-2026 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.1-78.7 years (varies by source)
male: 75.8 years
female: 81.8 years
Nationality:
noun/adjective: Dominican(s)
Ethnic groups: predominantly Afro-Caribbean, with Kalinago (Carib) and European influences; 3,000-3,500 Kalinago still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the Caribbean
Religions: Roman Catholic 52.7%, Protestant 29.7% (Adventist, Pentecostal, Baptist, and others), none 9.4% (2011 est.)
Languages: English (official), French patois
| Government |
Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form: Dominica; note - named by Christopher Columbus for the day of the week (Sunday, Domingo) on which he spotted it
Data code: DO
Government type: parliamentary republic
National capital: Roseau
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Sylvanie Burton
Background: in 1871 Dominica became part of the British Leeward Islands, later the British Windward Islands, until 1958; became an associated state of the UK in 1967
| Economy |
Economy - overview: highly agrarian OECS island economy; ECCU member; a large banana exporter; improved oversight of its citizenship-by-investment program; emerging ecotourism, ICT, and education industries
GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.47 billion (2025 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.2% (2025)
GDP - per capita: $19,580 PPP (2025 est.)
Inflation rate: 1.359% (2018)
Population below poverty line: 29% (2009)
Industries: soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
| Military |
Military - note: Dominica has no standing military; has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since 1982, along with Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for mutual assistance on emergencies, smuggling, immigration control, and disaster response (2025)