Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Cayman Islands places highest on Political Stability and Absence of Violence (top 2% worldwide) and lowest on Disability Benefit Coverage (bottom 1%).
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Cayman Islands in the Nations Inquiry Country Index
Cayman Islands appears in 103 of the statistics tracked here, but is not placed in the Country Index: the index needs a standing on three quarters of its topics, and Cayman Islands is measured on too few of them. Every published reading below is unaffected.
At a glance
Population
73,038
people
since 1950
Land area
240
km²
since 1961
GDP per person
80,997
international $, PPP
since 2006
Life expectancy
80.36
years at birth
since 1950
The newest published figure for each, the year it describes and who published it, with a line showing how it has moved.
01The country
About Cayman Islands
Three low limestone islands make up the Cayman Islands, the summits of a submarine ridge in the western Caribbean beside the deep Cayman Trough. They are a British Overseas Territory, run by an elected parliament and cabinet of their own, with a governor appointed by the Crown. Stingrays gather over a sandbar in Grand Cayman’s shallow North Sound, Cayman Brac ends in a high bluff riddled with caves, and red-footed boobies nest beside a salt pond on Little Cayman.
Columbus sighted the two smaller islands in May 1503 and named them Las Tortugas for their sea turtles, which passing ships took on as fresh meat for two centuries. Spain recognised English possession in 1670, and settlers, many from Jamaica, worked small holdings rather than sugar estates. In February 1794 a merchant convoy ran onto the reef at East End and islanders rowed out to save the crews; the Wreck of the Ten Sail is the islands’ favourite story. They were governed from Jamaica until 1962.
Caymanian men once lived by the sea, as turtlers off Nicaragua and crew on foreign ships, while women twisted silver thatch palm into rope. A banking law of 1966 and the absence of income tax then drew trust companies, insurers and investment funds, and finance overtook the sea. Divers explore the walls of Bloody Bay, and Pirates Week fills November with costumed parades. Fish rundown, stewed in coconut milk, and heavy cake made from cassava are local staples.
Key facts about Cayman Islands
- Capital
- George Town
- Official language
- English
- Currency
- Cayman Islands dollar (KYD)
- ISO code
- CYM · KY
- Domain · dialling
- .ky · +1345
As Wikidata records them. Official languages are the least consistent — some countries list only a national language, others every regional one. Sources and licences.
02Country Index 2026
Where it stands, topic by topic
Strongest first. Each position is Cayman Islands’s place among the countries with a standing on that topic, built from a few key statistics chosen to measure different things.
95thof 177
From 3 of 4 key statistics
130thof 198
From 3 of 4 key statistics
142ndof 165
From 2 of 3 key statistics
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
No standing — Cayman Islands holds too few of this subject’s key statistics to be placed on it.
Each standing is built from a few key statistics chosen to measure different things. Select a subject for Cayman Islands’s readings on it, or see every statistic held for Cayman Islands in the table further down this page.
03Highs and lows
Where Cayman Islands stands out
The two ends of its own record: every statistic on which Cayman Islands sits within ten places of the best or worst in the world, plus its strongest and weakest readings overall. Each is turned into a percentile — its place among every country measured — which is what lets a hunger score and a press-freedom rank be compared at all.
Where Cayman Islands does best5
In the top third of all countries measured. 2 are within ten places of the best in the world, in a field of at least 50 countries — marked with that place.
- 6th
Position · derived 6th of 211 · 1.489 · 2025
world median 0.171 (better)
- 7thICT Goods Exportstop 5%
Position · derived 7th of 119 · 21.32 · 2024
world median 0.975 (better) · ▼ 4 pts since 2020
Not ranked by the publisher · 100 · 2024
world median 45.9 (better)
Position · derived 13th of 173 · 37,818 · 2021
world median 12,800 (better)
- Life Expectancy at Age 65top 13%
Position · derived 30th of 222 · 20.63 · 2023
world median 16.39 (better) · ▲ 10 pts since 2013
Where Cayman Islands struggles most6
In the bottom third of all countries measured. 4 are within ten places of the worst in the world, in a field of at least 50 countries — marked with that place.
- 6thMunicipal Solid Waste Generationbottom 3%
Position · derived 6th of 201 · 1 = worst · 3.232 · 2026
world median 0.966 (worse)
- 9thGovernment Spending on Educationbottom 7%
Position · derived 115th of 123 · 1.57 · 2023
world median 3.709 (worse)
- 9thGovernment Funding per Primary Studentbottom 12%
Position · derived 60th of 68 · 9.914 · 2022
world median 17.81 (worse) · ▲ 3 pts since 2019
- 9thLiner Shipping Connectivity Indexbottom 3%
Rank 167th of 175 · 7.329 · 2026
world median 56.21 (worse)
A band is a place among the countries each publisher scores, so Cayman Islands can move because other countries moved. See the Country Index for the full method.
04In context
Cayman Islands and its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place in the world ranking, not within the region.
Shares a land border with
Cayman Islands has no land border with another country.
Across Caribbean
Every country in the sub-region, by its position in the world.
- 67
Barbados - 68
Saint Lucia - =71
Dominican Republic - =71
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - =76
Jamaica - 81
Antigua and Barbuda - 85
Grenada - 90
Trinidad and Tobago - =104
Bahamas - 119
Cuba - 173
Haiti - —
Anguillanot placed - —
Arubanot placed - —
British Virgin Islandsnot placed - —
Cayman Islandsnot placed - —
Curaçaonot placed - —
Dominicanot placed - —
Montserratnot placed - —
Puerto Riconot placed - —
Saint Kitts and Nevisnot placed - —
Saint Martinnot placed - —
Sint Maartennot placed - —
Turks and Caicos Islandsnot placed - —
United States Virgin Islandsnot placed
05The evidence
Every statistic we hold for Cayman Islands
Grouped by topic. Each row gives the newest edition’s rank or position, the published value and the year the numbers describe. Select a statistic for this country’s row beside every other country, the world median and every edition.
Governance & Institutions11
- Central Bank Independence IndexAna Carolina Garriga, University of Essex · CBI index (0–1, where 1 is the most statutory independence)bottom 5%0.3012023
- Control of CorruptionWorld Bank Group · Control of Corruption (−2.5 to 2.5)59th of 211position · derived0.6042025
- Disability Benefit CoverageILO · People with severe disabilities receiving disability benefits (%)bottom 1%02025
- Government EffectivenessWorld Bank Group · Governance estimate (−2.5 weak to 2.5 strong)39th of 209position · derived1.0622025
- Government Funding per Primary StudentUIS · Government funding per primary student (% of GDP per capita)60th of 68position · derived9.9142022
- Government Spending on EducationUIS · Government expenditure on education (% of GDP)115th of 123position · derived1.572023
- Old-Age Pension CoverageILO · People above statutory pensionable age receiving an old-age pension (%)bottom 4%3.12025
- Regulatory QualityWorld Bank Group · Regulatory Quality (−2.5 to 2.5)47th of 209position · derived0.6732025
- Rule of LawWorld Bank Group · Rule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)40th of 211position · derived0.9642025
- Voice and AccountabilityWorld Bank Group · Voice and Accountability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)29th of 206position · derived1.1142025
Economy & Innovation14
- Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · Actual individual consumption per capita (PPP, current international $)13th of 173position · derived37,8182021
- Container Port TrafficUNCTAD · Container port traffic (TEU, twenty-foot equivalent units)100th of 103position · derived46,6582024
- Creative Goods ExportsUNCTAD · Creative goods exports (% of merchandise exports)bottom 34%0.4962024
- Export Concentration IndexUNCTAD · Export concentration index (0–1, normalised Herfindahl–Hirschman)top 31%0.4172025
- Foreign Direct Investment InflowsUNCTAD · FDI inflows (% of GDP)top 1%443.212025
- ICT Goods ExportsUNCTAD · ICT goods exports (% of total goods exports)7th of 119position · derived21.322024
- Liner Shipping Connectivity IndexUNCTAD · LSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100)167th of 175rank7.3292026
- Merchant Fleet by Country of OwnershipUNCTAD · Merchant fleet owned (thousand dead-weight tons)bottom 24%15.772026
- Price Level of Household ConsumptionGGDC · Price level of household consumption (US output price level in 2021 = 1)top 2%1.4552023
- Productive Capacities IndexUNCTAD · Productive Capacities Index (1–100)103rd of 195position · derived46.322022
- Scholarly ArticlesOurResearch · Articles with at least one author at an institution in the country (full counting)bottom 7%162025
- Statutory Corporate Income Tax RateOECD · Combined statutory corporate income tax rate, central and sub-central government (%)bottom 3%02026
- Terms of Trade IndexUNCTAD · Terms of trade index (2015 = 100)bottom 7%79.152025
- Total Natural Resources Rents (% of GDP)World Bank Group · Natural resources rents (% of GDP)180th of 180position · derived02021
Work & Labour2
- Employment Injury Protection CoverageILO · Labour force covered in the event of a work injury (%)top 4%1002024
- Unemployment Benefit CoverageILO · Unemployed people receiving unemployment benefits (%)bottom 26%02024
Education & Knowledge11
- Adult Literacy RateUIS · Adults 15+ who can read and write (%)33rd of 172position · derived98.872024
- Out-of-School Rate, Lower Secondary AgeUIS · Out-of-school rate, lower secondary age (%)74th of 116position · derived · 1 = worst3.3252024
- Out-of-School Rate, PrimaryUIS · Out-of-school rate, primary age (%)49th of 121position · derived · 1 = worst5.1692024
- Participation in Organised Learning One Year Before PrimaryUIS · Children one year before primary entry age in organised learning (%)28th of 112position · derived96.162024
- Pre-Primary Net Enrolment RateUIS · Net enrolment rate, pre-primary (%)32nd of 120position · derived87.012024
- Primary Schools with ElectricityUIS · Primary schools with access to electricity (%)top 30%1002024
- Primary Schools with Internet for TeachingUIS · Primary schools with internet access for teaching (%)top 22%1002024
- Pupils per Qualified Teacher, PrimaryUIS · Primary pupils per qualified teacher (headcount basis)76th of 92position · derived · 1 = worst13.422024
- Qualified Teachers in Primary EducationUIS · Primary teachers with the minimum qualifications their country requires (%)top 14%1002024
- Secondary School EnrolmentUIS · Gross secondary enrolment ratio (%)81st of 109position · derived84.762024
- Youth Literacy RateUIS · 15–24 year-olds who can read and write (%)top 41%98.912024
Health & Wellbeing6
- Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19157th of 222position · derived · 1 = worst11.342023
- Adult Mortality (Probability of Dying Between 15 and 60)UN DESA Population Division · Deaths before age 60 per 1,000 people alive at 15, at that year's death rates137th of 222position · derived · 1 = worst105.392023
- Days Above 35°CECMWF · Days a year with a maximum temperature above 35°C, averaged over the country’s landtop 16%02025
- Life Expectancy at Age 65UN DESA Population Division · Further years a 65-year-old would live at current death rates30th of 222position · derived20.632023
- Life Expectancy at BirthUN DESA Population Division · Years a newborn would live at current death rates49th of 222position · derived80.362023
- PM2.5 Air Pollution ExposureAtmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis · Population-weighted PM2.5 concentration (µg/m³)155th of 220position · derived · 1 = worst102023
Development & Human Capital2
- Access to ElectricityWorld Bank Group · Population with electricity access (%)top 28%1002024
- Access to Electricity, RuralWorld Bank Group · Rural population with electricity access (%)top 29%1002024
Environment & Sustainability19
- Agricultural LandFAO · Agricultural land (% of land area)173rd of 209position · derived11.252023
- Arable Land per PersonFAO · Arable land (hectares per person)198th of 206position · derived0.0032023
- Burned AreaGWIS · Burned area (hectares)bottom 12%02025
- Carbon Intensity of ElectricityEmber · Carbon intensity (gCO₂e per kWh generated)33rd of 165position · derived · 1 = worst632.392024
- Coal Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · Coal (% of electricity generated)top 32%02024
- Energy Intensity of GDP (PPP)EIA · Energy use per dollar of GDP (thousand Btu per US$ at PPP)bottom 49%2.7682024
- Fisheries and Aquaculture ProductionFAO · Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals caught or farmed, tonnes (live weight)bottom 7%2152024
- Forest AreaFAO · Forest area (% of land area)44th of 210position · derived52.472023
- Low-Carbon Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · Low-carbon sources (% of electricity generated)140th of 162position · derived4.2252024
- Mangrove AreaGlobal Mangrove Watch (Aberystwyth University, JAXA, soloEO, Wetlands International, The Nature Conservancy) · Mangrove forest area (hectares)bottom 45%6,8562025
- Methane EmissionsEDGAR · Methane emissions (gigagrams of CH₄)bottom 8%1.0672025
- Municipal Solid Waste GenerationWorld Bank Group · Municipal solid waste generated (kg per person per day)6th of 201position · derived · 1 = worst3.2322026
- Population Living Below 5 m ElevationCenter for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University · Population living below 5 m elevation (% of total population)top 10%17.622015
- Renewable Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · Renewables (% of electricity generated)139th of 162position · derived4.2252024
- Solar Electricity Installed CapacityEIA · Solar generating capacity installed (gigawatts)bottom 24%0.0142024
- Solar Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · Solar (% of electricity generated)top 43%4.2252024
- Tree Cover LossWorld Resources Institute — Global Forest Watch (data: University of Maryland) · Tree cover loss (hectares, where canopy cover exceeded 30% in 2000)bottom 30%74.662025
- Tropical Moist Forest DeforestationJRC · Tropical moist forest deforested in the year (million hectares)bottom 20%02025
- Wind and Solar Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · Wind and solar (% of electricity generated)bottom 46%4.2252024
Gender & Equality3
- Female-Headed HouseholdsUN DESA Population Division · Households headed by a woman (% of households)top 30%39.52026
- Mean Age at First Marriage, WomenUN DESA Population Division · Singulate mean age at marriage, women (years)top 28%282019
- Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · Male births per 100 female birthsbottom 19%103.62023
Peace & Security2
- Political Stability and Absence of ViolenceWorld Bank Group · Political Stability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)6th of 211position · derived1.4892025
- Refugees by Country of OriginUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · Refugees under UNHCR's mandate from this country, end of year (people)bottom 2%02025
Risk & Resilience2
- Asylum-Seekers by Country of AsylumUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · Asylum-seekers awaiting a decision, end of year (people)bottom 15%152025
- Refugee Population by Country of AsylumUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · Refugees under UNHCR's mandate hosted, end of year (people)bottom 18%532025
Mobility & Trade5
- Container Import Dwell TimeWorld Bank Group · Median days a full import container waits in port62nd of 156position · derived · 1 = worst5.12024
- EmigrantsUN DESA Population Division · Migrants from the country living abroad, mid-year (people)bottom 2%6092024
- International MigrantsUN DESA Population Division · International migrants living in the country, mid-year (people)bottom 22%31,9352024
- Net Migration RateUN DESA Population Division · Net migrants per 1,000 populationtop 7%12.612023
Energy9
- Crude Oil ProductionEIA · Crude oil produced (thousand barrels per day)bottom 26%02025
- Gas Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · Natural gas (% of electricity generated)bottom 22%02024
- Hydro Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · Hydropower (% of electricity generated)bottom 13%02024
- Natural Gas ProductionEIA · Dry natural gas produced (billion cubic metres)bottom 27%02024
- Net Electricity Imports (share of generation)Ember · Net electricity imports (% of domestic generation)bottom 42%02024
- Nuclear Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · Nuclear (% of electricity generated)bottom 45%02024
- Photovoltaic Power Potential (PVOUT)World Bank Group (ESMAP), data by Solargis · Practical solar power potential (kWh per kWp per day, long-term average)top 29%4.6272020
- Primary Energy Consumption per CapitaEIA · Energy use per person (million Btu)top 12%162.92024
- Primary Energy ProductionEIA · Primary energy produced (quadrillion Btu)bottom 11%02024
Digital & Technology3
- GitHub DevelopersGitHub · Developer accounts located in the economy (as of quarter end)bottom 19%4,4642026
- GitHub Git PushesGitHub · Git pushes during the quarterbottom 8%5,8362025
- GitHub RepositoriesGitHub · Public repositories located in the economy (as of quarter end)bottom 21%7,6142026
People & Population14
- Crude Birth RateUN DESA Population Division · Births per 1,000 populationbottom 41%11.842023
- Crude Death RateUN DESA Population Division · Deaths per 1,000 populationbottom 9%4.8012023
- Mean Age at ChildbearingUN DESA Population Division · Mean age of mothers at the birth of their children (years)top 21%30.652023
- Median Age of the PopulationUN DESA Population Division · Median age (years)top 29%37.882023
- One-Person HouseholdsUN DESA Population Division · Households with exactly one member (% of households)top 10%34.62026
- Population Aged 65 and OverUN DESA Population Division · Share of the total population aged 65 and over (%)top 49%8.5412023
- Population DensityUN DESA Population Division · People per square kilometre of landtop 19%303.062023
- Population Growth RateUN DESA Population Division · Population growth (% per year)top 23%1.9662023
- Population Living in Cities (Degree of Urbanisation)UN DESA Population Division · Share of the population living in cities as the Degree of Urbanisation defines them (%)bottom 8%02025
- Population Under Age 15UN DESA Population Division · Share of the total population aged 0–14 (%)bottom 23%16.292023
- Sex Ratio of the Total PopulationUN DESA Population Division · Males per 100 femalestop 28%100.862023
- Total Dependency RatioUN DESA Population Division · People aged 0–14 and 65+ per 100 people aged 15–64bottom 3%33.042023
- Total Fertility RateUN DESA Population Division · Live births per womanbottom 30%1.5312023
06Method
Sources and how to read them
How to read this page
- The scores and ranks belong to their publishers. Nothing is adjusted, rescaled or re-ranked; each is reproduced from the edition named beside it. Where a row says position · derived, the publisher ranks nobody on that measure and the position is ours, made by ordering the published score.
- Each statistic shows its newest edition, which is not always the edition the Country Index uses: the index pins every source to one data year so its average compares like with like.
How a standing is built from percentiles, why Cayman Islands can move because other countries moved, and why publishers measure between 120 and 215 countries each are set out in full in how a standing is made and what a standing cannot tell you.
Sources
- Statistics: 23 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
- Capital, languages, currency, codes: Wikidata, public domain (CC0).
- Map and land borders: Natural Earth, public domain. Borders are de facto — where administration actually changes — not claimed.
Photographs
The photograph of Cayman Islands on this page comes from Wikimedia Commons and is shown in greyscale. The photographer and the licence are named beside each one.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Cayman Islands: country statistics, rankings and trends. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/cayman-islands