Geography
Size snapshot: more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.
CIA 2026
Data as of May 5, 2026
Curaçao
North AmericaLand of Contrasts
Curaçao defies simple categorization. Test your assumptions about Curaçao.
Curaçao defies simple categorization. It ranks #18 in co2 emissions, yet surprisingly lags in forest coverage. Test your assumptions about Curaçao.
12.1, -68.9 - North America
Area
444 km²
Pop.
153.3K
Stats
49
Reality brief
Curaçao is a country in North America with a population of 153.3K and an area of 444 km². Life expectancy is 76.8 years.
Short factual summary generated from the same country data used in game rounds.
Core numbers
Stats worth knowing
Fast scan first, deep dive later.
CO2 Per Capita
12.34 t/person/yr#18globally
Annual carbon dioxide emissions in tonnes per person, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
Population Density
348.32 /km²#32globally
How many people live in each square kilometer of land.
GDP Per Capita
$27,675.57#75globally
GDP per person adjusted for purchasing power in constant 2017 international dollars, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
$32,693.29#75globally
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
Life Expectancy
76.8 years#83globally
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
Country briefing
Grounded facts about Curaçao
A quick real-world briefing before you dive deeper into rankings, surprises, and matchups.
Culture
Major languages include Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and more.
CIA 2026
Identity
Formal name: Country of Curacao.
CIA 2026
Cities
Cities in Curaçao
Browse this country's cities before City Detective asks you to guess.
Top stats
Where They Stand Out
The strongest source-backed stats before the deeper data table.
Electricity Access (%)
100%#27globallyTop stat
The percentage of the population with access to electricity.
Urban Population (%)
91.43%#32globallyTop stat
The percentage of people living in cities and urban areas.
Education Spending (% GDP)
5.4% of GDP#40globally
Government education spending as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Lowest Elevation
0 m#73globally
Lowest point elevation from CIA World Factbook.
Reality checks
Did You Know?
The stats that tend to surprise players in real rounds.
Only ranks #209 in forest area
#2090.70 km²Forest Area
Total forest area in square kilometers, including natural and planted trees at least 5 meters tall.
Only ranks #219 in airports
#2191.0Airports
Large, medium, and small airport records by country from the open OurAirports dataset.
Only ranks #192 in land area
#192444 km²Land Area
Total land area in square kilometers, excluding lakes, rivers, and territorial waters.
Only ranks #183 in youth population (%)
#18314.93%Youth Population (%)
The percentage of the population aged 0 to 14.
Compared with the region
How Curaçao Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
Curaçao
North America avg
World avg
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
- Country
- $32,693.29
- Region avg
- $38,271.63
- World avg
- $31,844.55
Curaçao$32,693.29
North America$38,271.63
World$31,844.55
+3% above worldWB 2023
Life Expectancy
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
- Country
- 76.8 years
- Region avg
- 75.5 years
- World avg
- 73.7 years
Curaçao76.8 years
North America75.5 years
World73.7 years
+4% above worldWB 2023
Internet Users
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
- Country
- 68%
- Region avg
- 76.55%
- World avg
- 70.29%
Curaçao68%
North America76.55%
World70.29%
-3% below worldWB 2023
Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Play this countryFactbook notes
About Curaçao
Country briefing
The original Arawak Indian settlers who arrived on Curaçao from South America in about A.D.
Read the full Factbook note
The original Arawak Indian settlers who arrived on Curaçao from South America in about A.D. 1000 were largely enslaved by the Spanish early in the 16th century and forcibly relocated to other colonies where labor was needed. The Dutch seized Curaçao from the Spanish in 1634. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, Curaçao was hard hit economically when the Dutch abolished slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of the Isla Refineria to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oilfields. In 1954, Curaçao and several other Dutch Caribbean colonies were reorganized as the Netherlands Antilles, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In referenda in 2005 and 2009, the citizens of Curaçao voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The change in status became effective in 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.
Geography & Climate6 facts
- Location
- Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea, 55 km off the coast of Venezuela
- Climate
- tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 60 cm/year
- Terrain
- generally low, hilly terrain
- Natural Resources
- calcium phosphates, protected harbors, hot springs
- Natural Hazards
- Curacao is south of the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
- Size Comparison
- more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.
People & Culture4 facts
- Languages
- Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak) 80%, Dutch (official) 8.8%, Spanish 5.6%, English (official) 3.1%, other 2.3%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 72.8%, Pentecostal 6.6%, Protestant 3.2%, Adventist 3%, Jehovah's Witness 2%, Evangelical 1.9%, other 3.8%, none 6%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Curacaoan 75.4%, Dutch 6%, Dominican 3.6%, Colombian 3%, Bonairean, Sint Eustatian, Saban 1.5%, Haitian 1.2%, Surinamese 1.2%, Venezuelan 1.1%, Aruban 1.1%, other 5%, unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)
- Major Cities
- 144,000 WILLEMSTAD (capital) (2018)
Government & History10 facts
- Government Type
- parliamentary democracy
- Capital
- Willemstad
- Capital Coordinates
- 12 06 N, 68 55 W
- Capital Timezone
- UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- Country of Curacao
- Name Origin
- the origin of the name is disputed; many historians now agree that the name derives from a similar-sounding word the original inhabitants used to describe themselves
- Independence
- none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- National Symbols
- laraha (citrus tree)
- National Anthem
- "Himmo di Korsou" (Anthem of Curacao)
- UNESCO Heritage
- 1 (cultural); note - excerpted from the Netherlands entry
Economy & Trade7 facts
- Overview
- high-income island economy; developed infrastructure; tourism and financial services-based economy; investing in information technology incentives; oil refineries service Venezuela and China
- Industries
- tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment, light manufacturing, financial and business services
- Agricultural Products
- aloe, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
- Export Partners
- Armenia 57%, USA 15%, Guyana 5%, Dominican Republic 4%, Netherlands 2% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- diamonds, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, gold, petroleum coke (2023)
- Import Partners
- USA 39%, Netherlands 24%, China 6%, Colombia 5%, Brazil 3% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- refined petroleum, cars, garments, plastic products, packaged medicine (2023)
Infrastructure & Defense2 facts
- Military Forces
- Curaçao Militia (CURMIL); Curaçao Volunteer Corps; Curacao Police Force (Korps Politie Curacao) (2025)
- Broadcast Media
- government-run TeleCuracao operates a TV station and a radio station; 2 other privately owned TV stations and several privately owned radio stations (2019)
Source:World Factbook archive 2026
Data vault
Deep Dive
Every tracked stat, grouped for fast scanning.
Environment6 statsBest: #18
Demographics12 statsBest: #32
Population Density
Urban Population (%)
Elderly Population (%)
Death Rate
Median Age
Fertility Rate
Birth Rate
Teen Birth Rate
Population
Dependency Ratio
Youth Population (%)
Land Area
Education & Future1 statsBest: #40
Education Spending (% GDP)
Wealth & Economy6 statsBest: #42
Land & Sea4 statsBest: #73
Lowest Elevation
0 m#73
Coastline Length
364 km#123
Land Border Length
0 km#179
Highest Elevation
372 m#199
Health & Survival1 statsBest: #83
Life Expectancy
Technology3 statsBest: #88
Infrastructure2 statsBest: #116
Merchant Fleet Size
57#116
Airports
Keep exploring
Related Countries
Compare Curaçao vs neighbors
Open the head-to-head pages people naturally search after reading this profile.
Where Curaçao leads
Jump straight to the rankings where this country has its strongest edge.
Neighboring Countries
Countries with Similar GDP
Share a country stat
Turn Curaçao's strongest number into a challenge card.
Curaçao
#18 in CO2 Per Capita
Annual carbon dioxide emissions in tonnes per person, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
Top 10% globally
12.34 t/person/yr
Frequently Asked Questions about Curaçao
What is the population of Curaçao?
Curaçao has a population of 153.3K, ranking #185 globally by population.
What continent is Curaçao in?
Curaçao is located in North America. It has an area of 444 km².
What is the life expectancy in Curaçao?
Life expectancy in Curaçao is 76.8 years, ranking #83 globally.
What is the GDP per capita of Curaçao?
Curaçao's GDP per capita (PPP) is $32,693.29, ranking #75 globally.
What is Curaçao known for in global statistics?
Curaçao ranks particularly high in CO2 Per Capita (#18), Population Density (#32), GDP Per Capita (#75).
How densely populated is Curaçao?
Curaçao has a population density of 348.3 people per km², ranking #32 globally.