Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Dominica at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
13%
of electricity
Food imported
25%
of merchandise imports · ~US$65m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Dominica.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Dominica, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHealth
About one adult in eight has diabetes
The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 12.9% of Dominicans aged 20 to 79 had diabetes in 2024.
SoberingEnvironment
One storm cost more than twice the economy
Hurricane Maria in September 2017 caused damage of US$931 million and losses of US$382 million. Together that came to 226% of Dominica's 2016 GDP.
SoberingNature
A giant frog lost most of its numbers in 18 months
Chytrid fungus killed more than 85% of Dominica's mountain chicken frogs in just 18 months. Durrell calls it one of the fastest species declines ever recorded.
RemarkableNature
The world's first sperm whale reserve
In 2023 Dominica set aside about 800 square kilometres of its western waters as the world's first marine protected area for sperm whales. Fewer than 500 are thought to live around the island.
RemarkableNature
A lake that boils
Boiling Lake, in Morne Trois Pitons National Park, is described by Dominica's Ministry of Tourism as the world's second largest boiling lake.
Source: Ministry of Tourism, Commonwealth of Dominica, Boiling Lake · 2024
RemarkablePeople
Home to the Kalinago Territory
Dominica's Indigenous Kalinago people hold a 3,700 acre territory on the east coast, created in 1903.
RemarkableNature
Three quarters of the island is forest
Forest covered about 76% of Dominica's land area in 2024, according to FAO data published by the World Bank.
Source: World Bank, Forest area (% of land area), from FAO · 2024
The History of Dominica.
Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans, due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Britain in 1763, and Dominica became a British colony in 1805.
Where the name comes from
The Kalinago call it Wai'tu kubuli, 'tall is her body', and still do. Columbus renamed it for the Sunday he sighted it in 1493. Source: national and regional toponymic records.
The land itself: rugged volcanic mountains from coast to coast. Its high point is Morne Diablotins, 1,447 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
Waitukubuli
Hunter-gatherer Ortoiroid people settled this island from around 3100 BC. Arawak-speaking Igneri followed by about AD 400, farming cassava, sweet potatoes and tobacco, and leaving white-on-red pottery through the Layou River valley. Kalinago people arrived by around AD 1200 and named the island Waitukubuli, tall is her body. That name and that people are still here.
How it got here
The only Indigenous territory left
Kalinago resistance held European settlement off far longer than on neighbouring islands, and the island passed between France and Britain repeatedly before being ceded to Britain in 1763. In 1903 a territory was set aside on the rugged Atlantic coast. It is the only Indigenous territory in the Caribbean, home to roughly 3,000 Kalinago people, and since 2006 the community has run its own cultural village, the Kalinago Barana Aute, at Crayfish River in Salybia. Independence came in 1978.
The timeline
Before the time of Christ
The first islanders.
Some sixty archaeological sites on the island have yielded stone axes, decorated pottery and carved religious objects from before the time of Christ, left by peoples who had moved up the Lesser Antilles from South America. Source
Before 1493
The Kalinago.
The Kalinago call the island Wai'tukubuli, meaning tall is her body. Source
1493
European ships arrive.
From Columbus's second voyage in 1493, European ships stop at Dominica after crossing the Atlantic, trading with the Kalinago for wood, water, cassava and fruit. Source
1600s to 1700s
A contested island.
France and England compete for the Lesser Antilles and the Kalinago hold Dominica as one of their last strongholds. It is the last Caribbean island colonised by Europeans, and even then only the coast is truly controlled. Source
1763
Passed to Britain.
At the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, Dominica passes from France to Britain, which rules it until 1978. Source
1834
Abolition.
The Slavery Abolition Act frees all enslaved people in the British colonies, Dominica among them, from 1 August 1834. Source
1903
The Kalinago Territory.
Governor Hesketh Bell sets aside the Carib Reserve in July 1903, now the Kalinago Territory on the north-east coast. Its land is owned in common, the only area in the Caribbean with such status, and about 3,500 Kalinago live there. Source
1978
Independence.
Britain grants independence to the Commonwealth of Dominica on 3 November 1978. Source
Today
Kalinago Barana Aute.
Kalinago Barana Aute, a recently established heritage site in the Kalinago Territory, shows traditional Kalinago buildings, craft making and cultural performances. Source
Nature and Biodiversity in Dominica.
Two numbers that do not match the brand. 21.4 per cent of Dominica's land was protected in 2024, which is respectable. Its marine protection is 0.1 per cent of territorial waters.
Is wild Dominica protected? 21.4% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Dominica?
Forest cover76.42%
Terrestrial protected area21.4%
Marine protected area0.1%
79 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
Found only here. Sisserou parrot and Jaco parrot, both found only on Dominica
The watchlist
ThreatenedImperial Amazon (Amazona imperialis) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedHawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (turtle).
ThreatenedAntillean Iguana (Iguana delicatissima) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (reptile).
ThreatenedMaze coral (Meandrina meandrites) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
ThreatenedMillepora complanata Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
ThreatenedReef starlet coral (Siderastrea siderea) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
ThreatenedBrain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
ThreatenedLowrelief saucer coral (Agaricia humilis) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (coral).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
What is at risk, by group
Mammals · 3
3 mammal species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Birds · 6
6 bird species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Fish · 50
50 fish species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Plants · 20
20 plant species recorded here are on the IUCN threatened list (2022, World Bank / IUCN Red List).
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Dominica filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Saint Patrick Parish, mapped and named in the open record for Dominica. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Saint John Parish, mapped and named in the open record for Dominica. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Saint Andrew Parish, mapped and named in the open record for Dominica. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Saint John Parish, mapped and named in the open record for Dominica. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Dominica.
Dominica is the well watered exception in the Caribbean, drawing on ten major rivers including the Layou, the Roseau and the Rosalie, and the 365 rivers line is a national claim rather than a hydrological census. 97 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024. Abundant on paper is not the same as reliable in the tap.
Does Dominica have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
Volcanic rivers, ten major systems, plus emerging aquifer use
How much fresh water does Dominica have, per person?
2,993 m³
Dominica
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Dominica withdraws about 20 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 10.0% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as low water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 5%, homes and towns 95%, industry 0%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Dominica beaches?
·Tap water: Varies.
✓Plastic rules: Announced for 2019, no enacted law found, reported unenforced.
✕Marine protection: 0% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Batibou Bay Beach, Bubble beach, Cabana Beach, Donkey Beach, Hiroula Bay Beach, La Taille Bay Beach. That is 14 named beaches in the public record for Dominica, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
80.4%
of people have at least basic sanitation
80.4% of people here use at least a basic toilet not shared with other households (2017, World Bank / WHO UNICEF JMP). No figure is published for how much of that waste is safely treated, so the share reaching the ground or the water untreated is unknown.
How is the sea around Dominica doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Resident sperm whales year-round (~200 individuals), most reliable November–March, one of the only places on Earth to see them reliably year-round.
Nearshore
Protected water
0.1% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
The record
Measured
Dominica is the well watered exception in the Caribbean, drawing on ten major rivers including the Layou, the Roseau and the Rosalie, and the 365 rivers line is a national claim rather than a hydrological census. 97 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024.
Dominica scored 67 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, below the global average of 72, and ranked 154th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says annual assessments are paused, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Water withdrawn
10% of renewable supply
Inside the internationally used stress threshold of 25%. (2022, FAO AQUASTAT)
Marine protected
0.1% of territorial waters
Against the 30x30 target of 30% by 2030 (2025, World Bank / WDPA).
Coastline
148 km
The length of shore exposed to sea-level rise and storm surge (national hydrographic survey records).
Sanitation
80.4%
Share with at least a basic service (2017, WHO/UNICEF JMP).
Is the tap water safe in Dominica?
We found no published test results from DOWASCO, the national water company. Its general manager said in June 2023 that it tests the water daily, sometimes more than once a day in some systems, and keeps a team ready to shut an intake, test and treat it if contamination is found. That same year residents of Platt Ma Pierre near Portsmouth reported green matter in their water and supply cuts up to three times a day. A UK funded upgrade worth £24.1 million, run by DOWASCO with the Caribbean Development Bank, aims to improve drinking water for 18,000 people on the east and west coasts, in Calibishie and in the Roseau Valley, with construction due to finish in October 2026. Where you are unsure, or after a storm, boil or filter it.
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 1 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 10.0% of what Dominica renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
Seaweed on the beaches. Dominica has had sargassum influxes since 2012, according to a preparedness plan written for the Fisheries Division in April 2019. The plan says seaweed left on the beach for more than 48 hours starts to give off hydrogen sulphide and other gases, and that the smell and clean up costs hurt tourism. It recommended paying people, including fishers, to rake the seaweed to the back of the beach every month, burying small amounts, putting up signs on popular beaches, and setting up a Sargassum Action Committee covering the north, east and west of the island.
When is the best time to visit Dominica? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Dominica actually have?
Nature renews about 2,993 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Dominica 105 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the wetter half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
FAO AQUASTAT · WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme · World Bank Open Data · Ocean Health Index, Dominica region page · Ocean Health Index, home page news: Annual Ocean Health Index assessments are paused · Climate Tracker Caribbean, Dominica at risk of losing its freshwater resource, 30 June 2023 · Caribbean Development Bank, CDB Briefs July 2026: Dominica Water Sector Strategic Development Project · Resilify Inc. for the Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Commonwealth of Dominica, Strategic Sargassum Preparedness Plan, 5 April 2019
Food and Drink in Dominica.
This is the honest correction to the Nature Isle story. Dominica's food import bill was US$41.8 million in 2017 and had reached US$75.8 million six years later, and food made up 25.2 per cent of merchandise imports in 2023, the highest of the destinations we cover. Hurricane Maria in 2017 is the pivot.
Where does the food in Dominica come from?
25.2% imported
about US$65m a year
On the plate: Dasheen, green bananas, plantains, yams, cassava, tannia, breadfruit, sweet potato ('ground provisions'), national dish is callaloo soup (dasheen leaves, okra, coconut).
3 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$65m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 25.2% of everything Dominica buys in from abroad is food, roughly 3 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2023, World Bank). Farming itself is 12.1% of the economy and 33.3% of the land is agricultural, of which 7.3% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Dominica? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Diabetes12.9%
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 59%.
Can Dominica feed itself?
7.3%
Arable land
32.6%
Agricultural land
14,826
Arable acres
12.1%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Dasheen, or taro (largest crop by tonnage)
Feeding itself
This is the honest correction to the Nature Isle story. Dominica's food import bill was US$41.8 million in 2017 and had reached US$75.8 million six years later, and food made up 25.2 per cent of merchandise imports in 2023, the highest of the destinations we cover.
Certification
Dominica grows a great deal and certifies very little of it. The fertile volcanic soil produces dasheen, yam, plantain, banana, citrus, coconut, cocoa, coffee, mango, guava, passionfruit, avocado, breadfruit and bay, and bay leaf oil is a real export.
Water for crops
Dominica is the well watered exception in the Caribbean, drawing on ten major rivers including the Layou, the Roseau and the Rosalie, and the 365 rivers line is a national claim rather than a hydrological census. 97 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 33.3% of the country is agricultural land and 7.3% is arable (2024, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
TaroGrapefruitsYamsBananasCoconutsPlantainsYautiaSugarcaneOranges
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Dominica are taro, pomelos and grapefruits, yams, bananas, coconuts and plantains and cooking bananas (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: The Rabbit Hole, Soma Garden Dominica, Origin Farm, Broad Meadows Organic Farm & Fertilizer Factory, Strictly Healthy Organic Farm, D-Smart Farm. Every one is a farm shop we have checked and listed ourselves, so the money goes to the grower rather than the importer. The checked list
Checked kitchens from the directory: StarLine Ital Kitchen to StarLine Ital Kitchen is a restaurant in Dominica. See its verified sustainability rating and review to help y; Natural Livity to Natural Livity is a 100% plant based restaurant in Roseau, Dominica. See its verified sustainability rating an. Every kitchen listed here is checked for how plant-based the menu really is before it earns its place.
Is this grown in Dominica?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
DasheenGreen bananasPlantainsYamsCassavaTanniaBreadfruit
Climate and Energy in Dominica.
Dominica's grid is still dominated by imported diesel, with hydropower providing about 13% of electricity and fossil fuels close to 87% (Low Carbon Power, 2023). Even so, emissions are low at about 2.58 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2024 (Our World in Data). The country has committed to becoming the world's first climate-resilient nation after Hurricane Maria, and its 10 MW geothermal plant at Laudat, backed by a 25-year power purchase agreement signed at COP28, entered commercial operation in August 2026; CARILEC expects it to cover about 50 per cent of national energy demand in 2026, rising to about 60 per cent of gross electrical energy production by 2027 (ThinkGeoEnergy). That transition is credible but not yet delivered, so the present grid remains fossil-heavy.
What powers Dominica?
Renewable 13.3%Fossil 86.7%
Dominica Electricity Services (DOMLEC) is the island's only electricity utility. Founded in 1949 by the Colonial Development Corporation, it passed fully to the government in 1983, was partly floated in 1987 and sold back to CDC in 1997. In May 2004 WRB Enterprises bought 52.8 per cent and Dominica Social Security 20 per cent, and in April 2013 Emera's subsidiary Light and Power Holdings bought WRB's shares and became the majority shareholder; the company's history page lists no later change. The Independent Regulatory Commission regulates the sector and, from 1 January 2014, granted DOMLEC a non exclusive generation licence and an exclusive licence to transmit, distribute and supply electricity. In May 2025 DOMLEC commissioned 4.8 MW of leased generation supplied by the government, and a 6 MW battery storage system funded by a UAE grant with partial government financing.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
1.27 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
1.27 tonnes
The grid
Dominica's grid is still dominated by imported diesel, with hydropower providing about 13% of electricity and fossil fuels close to 87% (Low Carbon Power, 2023). Even so, emissions are low at about 1.27 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2024 (Our World in Data).
Pollution
Be careful here, because most coverage gets it wrong. In the July 2018 budget address the Prime Minister announced that from 1 January 2019 Dominica would ban plastic straws, plates, forks, knives and styrofoam cups and containers.
Water stress
Dominica is the well watered exception in the Caribbean, drawing on ten major rivers including the Layou, the Roseau and the Rosalie, and the 365 rivers line is a national claim rather than a hydrological census. 97 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.79.7%
2Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.11.5 µg/m³ (PM2.5)
3On the record Be careful here, because most coverage gets it wrong.
What has Dominica promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2030
Electricity renewable today20.3% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target21.4% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target0.1% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2030, status: in policy document. Measured against it, 20.3% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 79.7% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year1.27 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy3.16 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.91 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy2.13 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy1.93 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy1.31 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Dominica emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. CCRIF, the regional disaster insurer, has paid Dominica US$23.3 million since 2007. The largest payouts came after Hurricane Maria in September 2017: US$19.3 million under its tropical cyclone policy and US$1.05 million under its excess rainfall policy. CCRIF also paid US$2.4 million after Tropical Storm Erika in August 2015 and US$528,021 after the earthquake of 29 November 2007.
AI and Data Centres in Dominica.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Dominica.
Data centres
0
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
13.3 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Dominica?
Almost everything a machine here consumes is burned fossil fuel.
Renewable 13.3%Fossil 86.7%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 20.3% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Dominica has 0 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, alongside 1 internet exchange (DANIX).
Where the cables land. 2 landing points · Canefield, Roseau
Economy and Tourism in Dominica.
17% residents to 83% visitors across a year. 322,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 65,871 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Dominica
140k
Visitors a year
2.1
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Dominica?· for every $100 Dominica earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2020 peak
$ 118The worst year on the IMF record. Dominica owed $118 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2020signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 98What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 82The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $82 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Dominica earns in a year, it owes $98 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Dominica?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 322,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 65,871 residents, 4.9 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Dominica is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is 25.2% of everything Dominica imports (2023, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, taro, grapefruits, yams, bananas, coconuts, plantains, yautia, sugarcane, oranges, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in4
The power
79.7% of the electricity is fossil (2021, World Bank). Lighting, cooling and hot water are paid for largely in imported fuel.
burns away5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power mostly leave Dominica. Choosing locally grown food is the part of that a visitor can actually control.
less than you think6
Pay the bank first
Dominica owes $98 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$98 per $1007
A spread hand
The largest single export, machinery and mechanical appliances, is 22.7% of the total (2023, UN Comtrade). No one shock can take the whole board.
top export 22.7%8
Community chest
Tourism earns 75.1% of everything Dominica makes from exports (2018, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
75.1% of exports9
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$1 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$1bnGDPUS$0.7bn
Agriculture, share of GDP12.1%
Visitors a year140,000
Visitors per resident2.1
Residents~65,871
Agriculture
Farming is 12.1% of the economy. This is the honest correction to the Nature Isle story.
Natural materials
This is the purest example of the idea anywhere in the Caribbean, because in the Kalinago Territory the craft and the cooking are literally the same objects. Larouma reed grew in the forest close to Kalinago settlements and is split by hand into thin flexible strips, coloured black, purple and yellow using mud and plant extracts.
Energy
Dominica's grid is still dominated by imported diesel, with hydropower providing about 13% of electricity and fossil fuels close to 87% (Low Carbon Power, 2023). Even so, emissions are low at about 1.27 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2024 (Our World in Data).
Who owns the biggest hotels in Dominica?
By rooms · company records and press.
Jungle Bay · ~40 roomsIndependentnot published
Rosalie Bay Eco Resort · ~28 roomsIndependentnot published
Coulibri Ridge · ~14 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
2015358k
2016356k
2017230k
2018199k
2019322k
2020140k
International tourism receipts run at about US$0.11 billion in 2018 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 75.1% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Dominica, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking dasheen, green bananas, plantains, yams, cassava, tannia, breadfruit, sweet potato ('ground provisions'); national dish is callaloo soup (dasheen leaves, okra, coconut). over imported menus. The checked list
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays. Eco tours
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Local drivers; roads are steep and slow, so allow far more time than the distance suggests
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
Dominica is the least developed and the most dramatic of the Eastern Caribbean islands, and it is the one built for walkers. It has a boiling lake, hot springs, waterfalls in most valleys and the Waitukubuli National Trail, the Caribbean's first long distance path, running the whole length of the island.
Best time: December to April is drier and best for hiking the trail. The rainforest is wet year round by definition, so waterproofs are never wasted. Hurricane season runs June to November.
Getting around
Local drivers; roads are steep and slow, so allow far more time than the distance suggests
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate is dasheen, green bananas, plantains, yams, cassava, tannia, breadfruit, sweet potato ('ground provisions'); national dish is callaloo soup (dasheen leaves, okra, coconut).. Know which market you are going to.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Water is the one thing Dominica is not short of, so refill rather than buying bottled, and keep soap and shampoo out of the rivers and pools.
The marine protection figure is 0.1 per cent of territorial waters, which is worth knowing before you book a dive. The forest is what is genuinely protected here.
Roads are steep, winding and slow, so a local driver is usually better than a hire car, and waterproofs are never wasted in a rainforest. Buy craft in the Kalinago Territory from the person who wove it. The Waitukubuli National Trail runs the length of the island in 14 segments.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the big hotels
Jungle BayIndependent · 40 rooms
Rosalie Bay Eco ResortIndependent · 28 rooms
Coulibri RidgeIndependent · 14 rooms
None of the 3 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Dominica.
How well is Dominica actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Dominica scores 59 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
What is daily life in Dominica really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWaste
✓How you get around Local drivers; roads are steep and slow, so allow far more time than the distance suggests
Made in Dominica.
This is the purest example of the idea anywhere in the Caribbean, because in the Kalinago Territory the craft and the cooking are literally the same objects. Larouma reed grew in the forest close to Kalinago settlements and is split by hand into thin flexible strips, coloured black, purple and yellow using mud and plant extracts. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Dominica actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Dominica sells the world is machinery and mechanical appliances, 22.7% of all exports in 2023 (about US$0.01 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are fruit and nuts at 22.1%, vegetables at 11.3%, soap and washing preparations at 10.8%, tanning and dyeing extracts at 9.1%.
Made now · natural materials
Coloured black
Worked in Dominica from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Purple
Worked in Dominica from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Yellow using mud
Worked in Dominica from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Mats
Worked in Dominica from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 18.7% of imports
Mineral fuels and oils
Dominica imported US$0.06 billion of mineral fuels and oils in 2023, 18.7% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 5.7% of imports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Dominica imported US$0.02 billion of electrical machinery and electronics in 2023, 5.7% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.7% of imports
Beverages, spirits and vinegar
Dominica imported US$0.01 billion of beverages, spirits and vinegar in 2023, 4.7% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.5% of imports
Vehicles
Dominica imported US$0.01 billion of vehicles in 2023, 4.5% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Dominica produces about US$1 billion a year, which is roughly US$10,989 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 12.1% of that, while food is 25.2% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in. With 7.3% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
See the verified makersCulture in Dominica.
Jing ping accordion music
The accordion band, now called the jing ping band after its fine, jingling sound, is the island's most popular folk ensemble. The accordionist sets the melody and then improvises on it.
Bele dance
Bele dancers trace intricate, sometimes frenzied steps to the beat of the tambou bele drum, traditionally on moonlit nights.
1970s
Cadence-lypso
Created by the band Exile One, cadence-lypso fused Haitian compas and cadence with Trinidadian calypso and spread across the Caribbean, paving the way for zouk.
1990s
Bouyon
Bands such as WCK created bouyon, mixing zouk and soca with jing ping rhythms and the sound of the accordion.
17th and 18th centuriesKweyol languageKweyol takes its words from French and its grammar from West African languages. It was created by Africans brought to work on Caribbean plantations.
Last Friday in October
Jounen Kweyol (Creole Day)
Creole Day is one of the highlights of the Independence celebrations.
Does Dominica protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Dominica holds a living heritage of unusual depth for a small island. Jing ping accordion music accompanies the bele dance, and the island gave rise to cadence-lypso and later bouyon. The Kweyol language and the Jounen Kweyol celebrations keep Creole culture in daily use, crowned each year by the World Creole Music Festival.
Who it belongs to. The Kalinago Territory is the strongest indigenous land story in the Caribbean and it is a matter of law, not folklore. Around 3,000 Kalinago live on roughly 3,700 collectively owned acres across eight hamlets on the north east coast: Sineku, Mahaut River, Gaulette River, Salybia, Crayfish River, Bataka, Atkinson and part of Concord. The legal basis is the Carib Reserve Act of 1978, now the Kalinago Territory Act, which holds the land in communal ownership and grants veto power over outside development.
Only here. Dominica is the only place on earth where the Sisserou and the Jaco parrots live, and the Sisserou was down to around 50 mature individuals in the wild in 2019. Its Kalinago Territory is the last communally held indigenous land in the Caribbean..
The Future of Dominica.
Three futures for Dominica, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Dominica Museum (Roseau), Museum of Rum (Saint David Parish). OpenStreetMap.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 78.3% to 76.4% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 40.8% to 20.3% across 21 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 0.85 t to 1.27 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 203k to 140k across 25 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 21.6% to 21.4% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 22.7% to 32.6% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 64.9% to 74% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 13 µg/m³ to 11.5 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 2,879 m³ to 2,993 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 39.2% to 59% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 75% to 100% across 26 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 3,952 to 10,989 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 69.5k to 65.9k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 15.7% to 8.9% across 27 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 0.6% to 0.6% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 70.8 yrs to 71.3 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 1,344 kg/ha to 1,690 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 1,071 kg/ha to 72.9 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 35.1% to 26% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 26.1 $/m3 to 28.7 $/m3 across 26 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 5.32% to 5.01% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 587 km2 to 574 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 0.05 to 0.04 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 0.01 to 0.01 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 0.01 to 0.1 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 0.06 to 0.18 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 0.04 to 0.05 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, food and farming at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift food and farming
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Dominica's record. This is the honest correction to the Nature Isle story. Dominica's food import bill was US$41.8 million in 2017 and had reached US$75.8 million six years later, and food made up 25.2 per cent of merchandise imports in 2023, the highest of the destinations we c…
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift energy
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Dominica's record. Dominica's grid is still dominated by imported diesel, with hydropower providing about 13% of electricity and fossil fuels close to 87% (Low Carbon Power, 2023). Even so, emissions are low at about 2.58 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2024 (Our World in Data).
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift recycling
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Dominica's record. The Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation was established by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1996 and runs the Fond Cole Sanitary Landfill about a mile north of Roseau, roughly 18 acres, designed to take the island's waste for a fifteen year period.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Dominica.
Who is in charge of Dominica now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Roosevelt Skerrit
Prime Minister
Roosevelt Skerrit is the head of government of Dominica, in office since 8 January 2004. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 66.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Unchanged from 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 58.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 58.8 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 82.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 87.7 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 65.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 66.0 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 56.7 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 56.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Roosevelt SkerritPrime Minister
House of AssemblyLegislature, unicameral
Last election6 December 2022
Constitution1978, as revised to 2014
Government typeparliamentary republic
Dominica national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
Plain Answers About Dominica.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Dominica sustainable?
Dominica scores 72 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Dominica is the least developed and the most dramatic of the Eastern Caribbean islands, and it is the one built for walkers. It has a boiling lake, hot springs, waterfalls in most valleys and the Waitukubuli National Trail, the Caribbean's first long distance path, running the whole length of the island. The Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Is the water in Dominica safe and plentiful?
Dominica is the well watered exception in the Caribbean, drawing on ten major rivers including the Layou, the Roseau and the Rosalie, and the 365 rivers line is a national claim rather than a hydrological census. 97 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024. Abundant on paper is not the same as reliable in the tap.
Can Dominica feed itself?
This is the honest correction to the Nature Isle story. Dominica's food import bill was US$41.8 million in 2017 and had reached US$75.8 million six years later, and food made up 25.2 per cent of merchandise imports in 2023, the highest of the destinations we cover. Hurricane Maria in 2017 is the pivot.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Dominica?
Know which market you are going to. The Old Market in Roseau was renovated as a craft centre in 1988 and sells jewellery, T shirts and spices to cruise passengers. The New Market is the working farmers market, best at daybreak on a Saturday, where farmers come in with vegetables and everything on the stands is whatever is in season.
How much of Dominica is actually protected?
Two numbers that do not match the brand. 21.4 per cent of Dominica's land was protected in 2024, which is respectable. Its marine protection is 0.1 per cent of territorial waters.
What wildlife is left in Dominica?
Dominica has the cleanest wildlife claim in the Caribbean: two parrots that exist nowhere else on earth. The Sisserou, or imperial amazon, is endemic to Dominica, Critically Endangered, and was estimated at only about 50 mature individuals in the wild in 2019. It had fallen to between 25 and 40 after Hurricane David in 1979, recovered to between 160 and 240 by 2012, and Maria is believed to have cut it back sharply again.
Is Dominica on clean energy?
Dominica's grid is still dominated by imported diesel, with hydropower providing about 13% of electricity and fossil fuels close to 87% (Low Carbon Power, 2023). Even so, emissions are low at about 1.27 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2024 (Our World in Data). The country has committed to becoming the world's first climate-resilient nation after Hurricane Maria, and its 10 MW geothermal plant at Laudat, backed by a 25-year power purchase agreement signed at COP28, entered commercial operation in August 2026; CARILEC expects it to cover about 50 per cent of national energy demand in 2026, rising to about 60 per cent of gross electrical energy production by 2027 (ThinkGeoEnergy).
How polluted is Dominica?
Be careful here, because most coverage gets it wrong. In the July 2018 budget address the Prime Minister announced that from 1 January 2019 Dominica would ban plastic straws, plates, forks, knives and styrofoam cups and containers. Dominica's import ban on non-biodegradable single-use plastics took effect in January 2019, but the enforcement law behind it did not follow. The Waste Control Bill introduced in 2019 to give the ban compliance teeth had still not been passed by December 2023, and products labelled biodegradable but made of fossil plastic kept coming through the ports.
Does recycling work in Dominica?
The Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation was established by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1996 and runs the Fond Cole Sanitary Landfill about a mile north of Roseau, roughly 18 acres, designed to take the island's waste for a fifteen year period. Weighbridge data from 2011 showed around 23 tonnes a day. No national recycling rate could be found.
Is the farming in Dominica organic?
Dominica grows a great deal and certifies very little of it. The fertile volcanic soil produces dasheen, yam, plantain, banana, citrus, coconut, cocoa, coffee, mango, guava, passionfruit, avocado, breadfruit and bay, and bay leaf oil is a real export. What we could not find is certification.
Are there natural materials and craft in Dominica?
This is the purest example of the idea anywhere in the Caribbean, because in the Kalinago Territory the craft and the cooking are literally the same objects. Larouma reed grew in the forest close to Kalinago settlements and is split by hand into thin flexible strips, coloured black, purple and yellow using mud and plant extracts. What gets made gives it away as working equipment rather than souvenir: alongside trays and mats, weavers make manioc squeezers and flour sifters, the tools of cassava processing.
Is there living culture in Dominica?
The Kalinago Territory is the strongest indigenous land story in the Caribbean and it is a matter of law, not folklore. Around 3,000 Kalinago live on roughly 3,700 collectively owned acres across eight hamlets on the north east coast: Sineku, Mahaut River, Gaulette River, Salybia, Crayfish River, Bataka, Atkinson and part of Concord. The legal basis is the Carib Reserve Act of 1978, now the Kalinago Territory Act, which holds the land in communal ownership and grants veto power over outside development.
What heritage does Dominica keep alive?
Dominica holds a living heritage of unusual depth for a small island. Jing ping accordion music accompanies the bele dance, and the island gave rise to cadence-lypso and later bouyon. The Kweyol language and the Jounen Kweyol celebrations keep Creole culture in daily use, crowned each year by the World Creole Music Festival.
So is Dominica actually green? The measured answer
What is working: the record is thin on the headline measures, and the sourced numbers below say why.
What is not: sea protected at 0.1% against a 30% mark, renewable electricity at 20.3% against a 100% mark.
How Dominica Ranks, region and world.
Where Dominica sits on the Eco Index, against its Caribbean neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Dominica compare in Caribbean?
2Belize70
4Jamaica67
5Grenada62
Scored Caribbean destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Dominica sits 14 of 77 at 72/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Dominica particularly good at?
✓ Water, scored 5/5. Dominica is the well watered exception in the Caribbean, drawing on ten major rivers including the Layou, the Roseau and the Rosalie, and the 365 rivers line is a national claim rather than a hydrological census. 97 per cent of the population had at least basic drinking water in 2024.
✓ Wildlife, scored 5/5. Dominica has the cleanest wildlife claim in the Caribbean: two parrots that exist nowhere else on earth.
✓ Natural fibres, scored 5/5. This is the purest example of the idea anywhere in the Caribbean, because in the Kalinago Territory the craft and the cooking are literally the same objects.
Where does Dominica score worst?
✕ Food and farming, scored 1/5. This is the honest correction to the Nature Isle story. Dominica's food import bill was US$41.8 million in 2017 and had reached US$75.8 million six years later, and food made up 25.2 per cent of merchandise imports in 2023, the highest of the destinations we cover.
✕ Energy, scored 1/5. Dominica's grid is still dominated by imported diesel, with hydropower providing about 13% of electricity and fossil fuels close to 87% (Low Carbon Power, 2023). Even so, emissions are low at about 2.58 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2024 (Our World in Data). The country has committed to becoming the world's first climate-resilient nation after Hurricane Maria, and its 10 MW geothermal plant at Laudat, backed by a 25-year power purchase agreement signed at COP28, entered commercial operation in August 2026; CARILEC expects it to cover about 50 per cent of national energy demand in 2026, rising to about 60 per cent of gross electrical energy production by 2027 (ThinkGeoEnergy). That transition is credible but not yet delivered, so the present grid remains fossil-heavy.
✕ Recycling, scored 2/5. The Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation was established by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1996 and runs the Fond Cole Sanitary Landfill about a mile north of Roseau, roughly 18 acres, designed to take the island's waste for a fifteen year period. Weighbridge data from 2011 showed around 23 tonnes a day.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Food and farming, 1/5
This is the honest correction to the Nature Isle story. Dominica's food import bill was US$41.8 million in 2017 and had reached US$75.8 million six years later, and food made up 25.2 per cent of merchandise imports in 2023, the highest of the destinations we cover.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Dominica's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Energy, 1/5
Dominica's grid is still dominated by imported diesel, with hydropower providing about 13% of electricity and fossil fuels close to 87% (Low Carbon Power, 2023). Even so, emissions are low at about 2.58 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2024 (Our World in Data).
Recycling, 2/5
The Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation was established by the Solid Waste Management Act of 1996 and runs the Fond Cole Sanitary Landfill about a mile north of Roseau, roughly 18 acres, designed to take the island's waste for a fifteen year period. Weighbridge data from 2011 showed around 23 tonnes a day.
The Dominica Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Dominica, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Dominica
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
76.4
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
21.4
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
0.1
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
20.3
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
1.3
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
79 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
58.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
55.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
65.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
82.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
66.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
46.1 / 100 · 60 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 60 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
41.0 / 100 · 109 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 109 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
39.7 / 100 · 97 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 97 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
44.9 / 100 · 71 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 71 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
70.4 / 100 · 63 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 63 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
2.5 / 100 · 92 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 92 of 111 countries assessed.
How Dominica Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 92 sources across 40 institutions
World Bank18 FIGURES
- Dominica's journey to become the world's first climate resilient country check
- forest cover 63.8%, 2023
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- PM2.5 air pollution mean annual exposure EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, 2023 check
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of land) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
Government of Dominica8 FIGURES
- Protected Areas Information System check
- Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Protected Areas Information System corroboration check
- Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Protected Areas Information System corroboration check
- Climate Resilience and Recovery Plan 2020-2030 (CREAD and Ministry of Economic Affairs, hosted by the Office of Disaster Management), Days after Hurricane Maria, on 23 September 2017, the Prime Minister told the UN General Assembly that Dominic check
- Climate Resilience and Recovery Plan 2020-2030 (CREAD and Ministry of Economic Affairs, hosted by the Office of Disaster Management) corroboration check
- Climate Resilience and Recovery Plan 2020-2030 (CREAD and Ministry of Economic Affairs, hosted by the Office of Disaster Management) corroboration check
- Division of Culture, The Kalinago Territory Today, This communal tenure is the only arrangement of its kind left in the Caribbean, and that is the version of the check
- Division of Culture, The Kalinago Territory Today corroboration check
Other published sources6 FIGURES
- About 99 per cent in 20 years; 23 frogs found in the 2023 survey check
- In commercial operation since August 2026; about 50% of demand in 2026, about 60% by 2027 check
- The pressures the government actually lists in its Sixth National Report to the CBD check
- The Sperm Whale Reserve Act of 14 October 2025 designated about 1,231 sq km, so the gap is smaller check
- Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme species fact sheet (partnership of the Governments of Dominica and Montserrat with Durrell, ZSL, Chester Zoo, Paignton Zoo and Nordens Ark) corroboration check
- Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme species fact sheet (partnership of the Governments of Dominica and Montserrat with Durrell, ZSL, Chester Zoo, Paignton Zoo and Nordens Ark) corroboration check
UNESCO World Heritage Centre6 FIGURES
- Morne Trois Pitons National Park (site 814), The Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. check
- Morne Trois Pitons National Park (site 814) corroboration check
- Morne Trois Pitons National Park (site 814) corroboration check
- Morne Trois Pitons National Park, statement under criterion (x) corroboration check
- Morne Trois Pitons National Park, statement under criterion (x) corroboration check
- Morne Trois Pitons National Park, statement under criterion (x) corroboration check
GBIF occurrence search5 FIGURES
- Dominica, IUCN category CR, Amazona imperialis, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- Dominica, IUCN category CR, Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (turtle). check
- Dominica, IUCN category CR, Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle) corroboration check
- Dominica, IUCN category CR, Iguana delicatissima (Lesser Antillean iguana), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (reptile). check
- Dominica, IUCN category CR, Acropora palmata (elkhorn coral), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Dominica in GBIF occurrence data (coral). check
FAO4 FIGURES
- Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Dominica country report (submitted by the Government of Dominica) corroboration check
- Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Dominica country report (submitted by the Government of Dominica) corroboration check
- FAOSTAT Crops and livestock products (QCL), Americas bulk release, December 2025, By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Dominica are taro, pomelos and grapefruits, yams, bananas, coconuts and check
- FAOSTAT Crops and livestock products (QCL), Americas bulk release, December 2025 corroboration check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics4 FIGURES
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Dominica, 2025 (76.5%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Dominica, 2025 (37.0%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Dominica, 2025 (37.0%), country-reported check
International Whaling Commission3 FIGURES
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC2 FIGURES
Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network2 FIGURES
UN Comtrade2 FIGURES
BirdLife International DataZone1 FIGURE
- Amazona imperialis factsheet (IUCN Red List Authority for birds) corroboration check
Central Statistics Office of Dominica1 FIGURE
- national statistical authority check
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Dominica 1978 (rev. 2014) check
DOM7671 FIGURE
- Kalinago Territory Act check
DOM767 Dompedia1 FIGURE
- local staples
Dominica Forestry1 FIGURE
- Wildlife and Parks Division, national protected-area and wildlife authority check
Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation1 FIGURE
- Fond Cole landfill check
FEE Blue Flag programme1 FIGURE
- Dominica is not a participating country, 2025
FiBL/IFOAM1 FIGURE
- organic farmland 11.6%, 2023
Government Information Service1 FIGURE
- Government of Dominica, Government to establish first ever sperm whale reserve (17 November 2023), Dominica protects the critically endangered, endemic Sisserou (imperial) parrot, its national bird, and hosts check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Dominica elections and chambers check
IWC Whale Watching Handbook1 FIGURE
- natural phenomena
Low Carbon Power1 FIGURE
- Dominica electricity mix, 2023 check
Minority Rights Group1 FIGURE
- Caribs in Dominica check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 emissions per capita, 2024 check
The Sun Dominica1 FIGURE
- Dominica's forgotten war on plastics check
ThinkGeoEnergy1 FIGURE
- Dominica 10 MW geothermal project financing, 2024 check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UN Statistics Division, Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Dominica, 2024 (8.5%), modelled estimate check
Uncommon Caribbean1 FIGURE
- market days
United Nations in the Caribbean / UNDP1 FIGURE
- Dominica continues to build community resilience in the Kalinago Territory (19 December 2024), It remains the only Indigenous territory in the Caribbean, home to roughly 3,000 Kalinago people today. check
WHO/UNICEF JMP1 FIGURE
- World Bank, drinking water 97.0% (at least basic), 2024
World Bank EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS1 FIGURE
- renewable electricity 20.3%, 2021
World Bank Open Data1 FIGURE
- protected areas, forest cover and water indicators check
World Parrot Trust1 FIGURE
- red necked amazon check