San Marino - SM - SMR - SMR - Europe

Last updated: February 27, 2024
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San Marino Factbook Data

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Jack Markell (since September 2023); note - also accredited to Italy

embassy: the United States does not have an Embassy in San Marino; the US Ambassador to Italy is accredited to San Marino, and the US Consulate General in Florence maintains day-to-day ties

Age structure

0-14 years: 14.34% (male 2,615/female 2,388)

15-64 years: 64.58% (male 10,906/female 11,628)

65 years and over: 21.08% (2023 est.) (male 3,329/female 4,026)
2023 population pyramid
This is the population pyramid for San Marino. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page.

Geographic coordinates

43 46 N, 12 25 E

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female

total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

occasional earthquakes

Area - comparative

about one-third the size of Washington, DC
Area comparison map

about one-third the size of Washington, DC


Military service age and obligation

18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription; government has the authority to call up all San Marino citizens from 16-60 years of age to serve in the military (2024)

Background

Geographically the third-smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco), San Marino also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named MARINUS in A.D. 301. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of the EU, although it is not a member; social and political trends in the republic track closely with those of its larger neighbor, Italy.

Environment - current issues

air pollution; urbanization decreasing rural farmlands; water shortage

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution

Population below poverty line

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA

highest 10%: NA

Exports - commodities

industrial washing/bottling machinery, packaged medicines, woodworking machinery, foodstuffs, aircraft (2019)

Administrative divisions

9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle

Agricultural products

wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef, cheese, hides

Military and security forces

Military Corps (National Guard): Guard of the Rock (or Fortress Guard), Uniformed Militia, Guard of the Great and General Council, Corps of the Gendarmerie

Ministry of Internal Affairs: Civil Police Corps (2024)

note: the captains regent oversees the Gendarmerie and National Guard when they are performing duties related to public order and security; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs exercises control over such administrative functions as personnel and equipment, and the courts exercise control over the Gendarmerie when it acts as judicial police

Budget

revenues: $371 million (2019 est.)

expenditures: $363 million (2019 est.)

Capital

name: San Marino (city)

geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: named after Saint MARINUS, who in A.D. 301 founded a monastic settlement around which the city and later the state of San Marino coalesced

Imports - commodities

electricity, cars, aluminum, footwear, natural gas, iron piping (2019)

Climate

Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Constitution

history: San Marino’s principal legislative instruments consist of old customs (antiche consuetudini), the Statutory Laws of San Marino (Leges Statutae Sancti Marini), old statutes (antichi statute) from the1600s, Brief Notes on the Constitutional Order and Institutional Organs of the Republic of San Marino (Brevi Cenni sull’Ordinamento Costituzionale e gli Organi Istituzionali della Repubblica di San Marino) and successive legislation, chief among them is the Declaration of the Rights of Citizens and Fundamental Principles of the San Marino Legal Order (Dichiarazione dei Diritti dei Cittadini e dei Principi Fondamentali dell’Ordinamento Sammarinese), approved 8 July 1974

amendments: proposed by the Great and General Council; passage requires two-thirds majority Council vote; Council passage by absolute majority vote also requires passage in a referendum; Declaration of Civil Rights amended several times, last in 2019

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.877 (2020 est.)
0.893 (2019 est.)
0.847 (2018 est.)
0.885 (2017 est.)

note: while not an EU member state, San Marino, due to its preexisting monetary and banking agreements with Italy, has a 2000 monetary agreement with the EU to produce limited euro coinage—but not banknotes—that began enforcement in January 2002 and was superseded by a new EU agreement in 2012

Executive branch

chief of state: co-chiefs of state Captains Regent Filippo TAMAGNINI and Gaetano TROINA (for the period 1 October 2023 - 1 April 2024)

head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Luca BECCARI (since 8 January 2020)

cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Grand and General Council

elections/appointments: co-chiefs of state (captains regent) indirectly elected by the Grand and General Council for a single 6-month term; election last held in March 2023; Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs indirectly elected by the Grand and General Council for a single 5-year term; election last held on 28 December 2019 (next to be held by November 2024)

election results: March 2023: Alessandro SCARANO and Adele TONNINI elected captains regent; percent of Grand and General Council vote - NA; Luca BECCARI (PDCS) elected Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs; percent of Grand and General Council vote - NA

note: the captains regent preside over meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State), which has 7 other members who are selected by the Grand and General Council; assisting the captains regent are 7 secretaries of state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has some prime ministerial roles

Fiscal year

calendar year

Flag description

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the main colors derive from the shield of the coat of arms, which features three white towers on three peaks on a blue field; the towers represent three castles built on San Marino's highest feature, Mount Titano: Guaita, Cesta, and Montale; the coat of arms is flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty); the white and blue colors are also said to stand for peace and liberty respectively

Independence

3 September 301 (traditional founding date)

Industries

tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII (consists of 12 members); note - the College of Guarantors for the Constitutionality and General Norms functions as San Marino's constitutional court

judge selection and term of office: judges elected by the Grand and General Council from among its own to serve 5-year terms

subordinate courts: first instance and first appeal criminal, administrative, and civil courts; Court for the Trust and Trustee Relations; justices of the peace or conciliatory judges

Land boundaries

total: 37 km

border countries (1): Italy 37 km

Land use

agricultural land: 16.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 16.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest: 0% (2018 est.)

other: 83.3% (2018 est.)

Legal system

civil law system with Italian civil law influences

Legislative branch

description: unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale (60 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by list proportional representation vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 5-year terms)

elections: last held on 8 December 2019 (next to be held by 31 December 2024)

election results: percent of vote by coalition/party - PDCS 35%, Tomorrow in Movement coalition 25% (RETE Movement 18.3%, DML 6.7%), Liberia 16.7%, We for the Republic 13.3%, RF 10%; seats by coalition/party - PDCS 21, Tomorrow in Movement coalition 15 (RETE Movement 11, DML 4), Liberia 10, We for the Republic 8, RF 6; composition (as of September 2022) - men 40, women 20, percent of women 33.3%

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

International organization participation

CE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Schengen Convention (de facto member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO

National holiday

Founding of the Republic (or Feast of Saint Marinus), 3 September (A.D. 301)

Nationality

noun: Sammarinese (singular and plural)

adjective: Sammarinese

Natural resources

building stone

Geography - note

landlocked; an enclave of (completely surrounded by) Italy; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennine Mountains

Economic overview

high-income, non-EU European economy; surrounded by Italy, which is the dominant importer and exporter; open border to EU and a euro user; strong financial sector; high foreign investments; low taxation; increasingly high and risky debt

Political parties and leaders

Domani - Modus Liberi or DML [Lorenzo Forcellini REFFI]
Free San Marino (Libera San Marino) or Libera [Luca BOSCHI]
Future Republic or RF [Mario VENTURINI]
I Elect for a New Republic
Party of Socialists and Democrats or PSD [Paride ANDREOLI]
RETE Movement [Gloria ARCANGELONI]
Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party or PDCS [Marco GATTI]
Socialist Party or PS [Alessandro BEVITORI]
Tomorrow in Movement coalition (includes RETE Movement, DML)
We for the Republic [Denise BRONZETTI]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: automatic telephone system completely integrated into Italian system (2018)

domestic: fixed-line is 47 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity is 119 telephones per 100 persons (2021)

international: country code - 378; connected to Italian international network

Terrain

rugged mountains

Government type

parliamentary republic

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of Italy

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of San Marino

conventional short form: San Marino

local long form: Repubblica di San Marino

local short form: San Marino

etymology: named after Saint MARINUS, who in A.D. 301 founded the monastic settlement around which the city and later the state of San Marino coalesced

Location

Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy

Map references

Europe

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Damiano BELEFFI (since 21 July 2017)

chancery: 327 E 50th Street, New York, NY 10022

telephone: [1] (212) 751-1234

FAX: [1] (212) 751-1436

email address and website:
smrassistant@gmail.com

Republic of San Marino Permanent Mission to the United Nations

Internet country code

.sm

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.643 billion (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating: BB+ (2020)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 12 years

male: 13 years

female: 12 years (2021)

Urbanization

urban population: 97.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Broadcast media

state-owned public broadcaster operates 1 TV station and 3 radio stations; receives radio and TV broadcasts from Italy (2019)

National anthem

name: "Inno Nazionale della Repubblica" (National Anthem of the Republic)

lyrics/music: no lyrics/Federico CONSOLO

note: adopted 1894; the music for the lyric-less anthem is based on a 10th century chorale piece

Major urban areas - population

4,000 SAN MARINO (2018)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Physicians density

6.11 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density

3.8 beds/1,000 population (2012)

National symbol(s)

three peaks each displaying a tower; national colors: white, blue

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: (2011 est.) NA

government consumption: (2011 est.) NA

investment in fixed capital: (2011 est.) NA

investment in inventories: (2011 est.) NA

exports of goods and services: 176.6% (2011)

imports of goods and services: -153.3% (2011)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of San Marino

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 30 years

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2021)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

T7

Ethnic groups

Sammarinese, Italian

Religions

Roman Catholic

Languages

Italian

major-language sample(s):
L'Almanacco dei fatti del mondo, l'indispensabile fonte per le informazioni di base. (Italian)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Italian audio sample

Disputes - international

none identified


Elevation

highest point: Monte Titano 739 m

lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current health expenditure

8.7% of GDP (2020)

Literacy

total population: 99.9%

male: 99.9%

female: 99.9% (2018)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 49.6

youth dependency ratio: 19.6

elderly dependency ratio: 30

potential support ratio: 3.3 (2021)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: 0% of population (2020)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: NA

rural: NA

total: 0% of population (2020)

Mother's mean age at first birth

31.9 years (2019)

Imports - partners

Germany 21%, Italy 13%, Poland 10%, France 7%, Spain 7%, Belgium 6%, Romania 6% (2019)

Exports - partners

Romania 10%, France 9%, Germany 8%, United States 8%, Austria 6%, Brazil 6%, Poland 6%, Russia 6%, (2019)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 17,175 tons (2016 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually: 7,737 tons (2016 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 45.1% (2016 est.)

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 9.85 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

methane emissions: 0.02 megatons (2020 est.)

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales: San Marino Historic Center and Mount Titano

Heliports

1 (2024)

Gross reproduction rate

0.73 (2023 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

47.7% (2023 est.)

Labor force

21,960 (September 2013 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 27.4% (2016 est.)

male: 21.4%

female: 36%

Net migration rate

5.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Median age

total: 45.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 44.4 years

female: 47.2 years

Debt - external

NA

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$954.512 million (31 December 2021 est.)
$781.805 million (31 December 2020 est.)
$473.111 million (31 December 2019 est.)

Public debt

98.35% of GDP (2020 est.)
55.09% of GDP (2019 est.)
55.94% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.53 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate

8.1% (2017 est.)
8.6% (2016 est.)

Population

34,892 (2023 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-2.9% (of GDP) (2011 est.)

Internet users

total: 25,500 (2021 est.)

percent of population: 75% (2021 est.)

Area

total: 61 sq km

land: 61 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Taxes and other revenues

16.14% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.917 billion (2020 est.)
$2.053 billion (2019 est.)
$2.012 billion (2018 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Roadways

total: 292 km (2006)

paved: 292 km (2006)

Airports

1 (2024)

Infant mortality rate

total: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male: 7.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 41,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 122 (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.05% (2017 est.)
0.6% (2016 est.)

Current account balance

$0 (2017 est.)
$0 (2016 est.)

Real GDP per capita

$56,400 (2020 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$60,100 (2019 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
$58,900 (2018 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 11,000 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 32 (2020 est.)

Death rate

8.8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Birth rate

8.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Imports

$2.551 billion (2011 est.)
$2.132 billion (2010 est.)

Exports

$3.827 billion (2011 est.)
$2.576 billion (2010 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 16,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48 (2022 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 84.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 81.5 years

female: 86.8 years

Real GDP growth rate

-6.65% (2020 est.)
2.07% (2019 est.)
1.49% (2018 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

-1.1% (2012 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 0.1% (2009)

industry: 39.2% (2009)

services: 60.7% (2009)

Revenue from forest resources

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Education expenditures

3.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

0.59% (2023 est.)