Dominica
🇩🇲Commonwealth of Dominica
Dominica defense profile covering Eastern Caribbean security, no standing army, police and coast guard missions, disaster resilience, and source limits.
| Demographics | |
| Population, Total | 66.20K persons (2024) |
| Population Growth Rate | -0.46% (2024) |
| Urban Population Ratio | 73.54% (2024) |
| Working Age Population | 69.17% (2024) |
| Life Expectancy | 71.13 years (2023) |
| Military | |
| Military Branches | no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) under the Ministry of National Security and Legal Affairs text |
| Economy | |
| GDP (Nominal) | 688.88M current US$ (2024) |
| GDP (PPP) | 1.41B current international $ (2024) |
| GDP Per Capita | 10,405.28 current US$ (2024) |
| GDP Growth Rate | 2.05% (2024) |
| Inflation Rate | 2.57% (2024) |
| Foreign Reserves | 155.97M current US$ (2024) |
| Industry | |
| Manufacturing Value Added | 32.61M current US$ (2024) |
| Industry GDP Ratio | 13.88 % of GDP (2024) |
| Manufacturing GDP Ratio | 4.73 % of GDP (2024) |
| Natural Resources | timber, hydropower, arable land text |
| Technology | |
| High-Tech Exports | 367,176 current US$ (2023) |
| Internet Penetration | 83.83% (2023) |
| Infrastructure | |
| Electricity Access | 100.00% (2023) |
| Total Area | 751 km² |
| Land Area | 751 km² |
| Water Area | NEGL km² |
| Land Boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 148 km |
| Irrigated Land | NA km² |
| Merchant Marine | 77 count (2023) |
| Electricity Capacity | 41,000 kW (2023) |
| Electricity - Fossil Fuel | 84.30% (2023) |
| Electricity - Hydroelectric | 15.00% (2023) |
| Electricity - Solar | 0.10% (2023) |
| Electricity - Wind | 0.70% (2023) |
| Electricity Consumption | 145.83 kWh (2023) |
| Other Statistics | |
| Terrain | rugged mountains of volcanic origin text |
| Climate | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall text |
| Natural Hazards | flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months volcanism: Dominica lies in the middle of the volcanic-island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from the island of Saba in the north to Grenada in the south; of the 16 volcanoes that make up this arc, five are located on Dominica, more than any other island in the Caribbean: Morne aux Diables (861 m), Morne Diablotins (1,430 m), Morne Trois Pitons (1,387 m), Watt Mountain (1,224 m), which last erupted in 1997, and Morne Plat Pays (940 m); the two best-known volcanic features on Dominica, the Valley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake thermal areas, lie on the flanks of Watt Mountain, and both are popular tourist destinations text |
| Government Type | parliamentary republic text |
| Capital | Roseau text |
| Legal System | common law based on the English model text |
| Administrative Divisions | 10 text |
| Internet Country Code | .dm text |
Dominica's terrain, ports, and storm exposure shape its security needs.
Dominica's terrain and location create security requirements around coastal access, internal mobility, public safety, and disaster response. Hurricanes and infrastructure damage can quickly become national-security concerns.
Geography and resilience are central to Dominica's security considerations, not secondary.
Dominica relies on police, maritime enforcement, and regional support rather than a large conventional military.
Dominica's practical security functions include public order, customs support, maritime policing, search and rescue, and support to civil authorities during emergencies. These missions are typical of small-island defense profiles.
Dominica benefits from pooled Eastern Caribbean security capacity through the RSS.
The Regional Security System provides a framework for small Eastern Caribbean states to cooperate on maritime security, disaster response, and threats that exceed individual capacity. For Dominica, this regional layer helps compensate for limited national resources.
This matters for understanding how defense is actually delivered.
Dominica's severe-weather exposure makes emergency management a core security issue.
Dominica has faced severe hurricane impacts that damaged infrastructure and disrupted livelihoods. Recovery capacity, communications, roads, ports, health systems, and utilities are all part of the country's security environment.
A rich nation page should make these civilian systems visible.
Dominica's defense responsibilities include public-safety missions, regional support, maritime security, and disaster resilience.
Publicly available sources offer substantial detail on Dominica's country profile, regional cooperation, and development vulnerabilities, while coverage of patrol readiness and security operations remains limited.
A small force size does not inherently indicate an absence of defense content.
Dominica's defense profile is inseparable from hurricane recovery and the ability to restore services quickly.
Climate disasters are a core security issue for Dominica. The country needs external support, regional cooperation, and resilient infrastructure to recover from storms and protect daily life.
Defense on small islands is often about continuity of society rather than combat power.
Dominica's terrain adds landslide and volcanic considerations to ordinary hurricane resilience.
Dominica's security and resilience profile is shaped not only by hurricanes but also by steep terrain and volcanic risk. Landslides, road cuts, and isolation can make emergency response harder than in flatter island states.
The steep terrain and volcanic hazards directly affect the state's capacity to respond to emergencies.
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