Introduction

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the sovereignty of Trinidad and Tobago using the methodology of the Burke Institute. Sovereignty is assessed in 7 areas: political, economic, technological, informational, cultural, cognitive and military. Each aspect is assessed on the basis of official data from international and national sources (UN, World Bank, UNESCO, IMF, ITU, FAO, SIPRI, PISA, etc.) without using politicized indexes. The maximum score in each direction is 100; the sum (up to 700) is the accumulated Sovereignty Index (Burke Index).

To adapt and adjust statistical parameters, an international expert survey was conducted for each of the seven components using a single questionnaire of 10 questions with a 10-point scale and one open-ended question.

In total, at least 100 experts from 50+ countries were interviewed for each indicator, taking into account geographical representation and specialization. When calculating and analyzing the data, equalizing coefficients were used, bringing all data to a scale of 0-10 points.

The final index value is the arithmetic mean between statistical data and expert estimates.

Below is an analysis in each area, a summary table and the main conclusions about the peculiarities of the sovereignty of Trinidad and Tobago.

Political sovereignty — 58.6

Trinidad and Tobago is an active member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth, CARICOM, the WTO, GATT, the Group of 77 and G24, the Inter-American System, the ILO, the World Bank, IADB, is in the network of programs of UNEP, UNESCO, CELAC, the Organization of American States and others.

The provisions of international treaties and conventions are being integrated into legislation (especially in economics, human rights, trade, and labor protection), but the supremacy of the Constitution is prioritized.

The political system is stable, free elections are regularly held, the level of political and social turbulence is lower than that of regional neighbors, and protest activity is sporadic and peaceful. In 2023, management efficiency is 49.5-66.5% according to the WGI (World Bank) index; the value is close to the global average, and in the region it is among the top 3 Caribbean countries.

EGDI (UN, 2024): 0.697–86th place in the world, steady growth in recent years, “high e-gov development” group in the Caribbean region. The level of support for Prime Minister Keith Rowley and the ruling party (PNM, UNC) varies from 43 to 58% according to the main polls of 2024-2025, trust is higher among the youth of urban agglomerations.

There are no foreign military bases; deploying facilities from other states is prohibited by law and military doctrine, and cooperation with the United States, Great Britain, and Venezuela is limited to joint maritime/patrol operations and exchanges.

Trinidad and Tobago accepts the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCC), participates in WTO and ICC Arbitration; it distances itself from some decisions in particularly conflicting cases, but traditionally supports international law. The form of government is a unitary republic with two historical autonomous regions (Tobago has its own parliament and limited budgetary autonomy); the bulk of decisions and resource allocation are controlled by the central government.

The work of the special services (intelligence, police, army structures) is accountable to the government and parliament, there are mechanisms within parliamentary and public audit, but independent civilian control is limited; the level of corruption control is assessed as average.

Data completeness assessment: the main indicators are available from international sources, the coverage is 85%.

Economic sovereignty — 62.1

GDP per capita (PPP) — 31 700-36 020 USD (2024-2025, World Bank, IMF, TradingEconomics, Statista). The country is consistently ranked in the top 3 Latin American countries in terms of living standards.

External reserves for August 2025 are USD 4.6–4.81 billion (Net Official Reserves), which is equivalent to 6.6 months of imports (data from the Central Bank and independent surveys). National debt: 62-68% of GDP (2024-2025), national sources give an average debt of 67.7% of GDP (Statista, World Bank, TradingEconomics).

Up to 60% of food products are imported. Domestic production: sugar, tropical crops, fish and seafood, vegetables; grain, milk, meat, finished products — mainly from the USA, Venezuela, Canada. The government supports food security with purchases and subsidies. Trinidad and Tobago is a net exporter of natural gas, petroleum products, ammonia, and methanol; its internal energy independence is complete, and the country is one of the region's leaders in energy exports.

Proven reserves: oil and gas fields (about 10 trillion cubic feet of gas, 200 million barrels of oil), ammonia, methanol, apatites; developed port and logistics infrastructure for export. Stable sources: large rivers (Oroto), reservoirs (Caroni-Arena Dam, Navet), availability — 98% (city), 87% (village); there are local interruptions and droughts during dry seasons. Processing via TT dollar (TTD) and banking systems (First Citizens, Republic Bank, ScotiaBank), local and international transfer systems, integrated into global SWIFT and Visa/MasterCard.

All payments within the country are in TTD, and export—import transactions are partially in dollars/euros, but the national currency remains dominant in retail and the services market. The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago issues, conducts monetary and credit policy, and is responsible for the stability of the TT dollar, inflation, interest and foreign exchange reserves.

The currency is freely convertible in the region, the exchange rate is regulated by the national bank.

Data completeness assessment: the main macroeconomic indicators are available from official sources (World Bank, IMF), coverage is 91%.

Technological sovereignty — 41.3

According to the UN, spending on research and development in 2021-2022 is 0.05% of GDP, the lowest value in 20 years. The global average is 1.25%. Almost no proprietary high-tech products are produced; the vast majority of IT, servers, software, telecom and banking systems are imported (USA, EU, China). Gross coverage is 11.95% of the age group; according to UNESCO, it is about 14-15% (lagging behind the regional average).

At the beginning of 2025, 84.7% of the population (1.28 million users); according to data from the beginning of 2024-80% (1.23 million), the growth is stable. National platforms e-bank, e-tax, public services, and healthcare are being implemented with the support of MinTIC and Neustar, however, 80-90% of solutions are developed with the involvement of external contractors, and there are practically no own export products.

High: more than 85% of the equipment, all microelectronics, software, analytical systems, and banking services are imported, while there are no own factories or large IT companies. EGDI (2024) — 0.697, online access to more than 150-200 basic and specialized services, however, a significant part of the platforms operate on international solutions.

There is no bio- and pharmaceutical industry of its own; biotechnological products, laboratories, and clinics are completely dependent on foreign suppliers and technologies, as well as scientific exchanges with the United States and the Caribbean community.

There is no industrial robotics in the country, only individual pilots (educational, test projects at universities and start-ups); all equipment is imported from outside. There is no own production, all electronics are imported; key suppliers are the USA, China, Taiwan, and the EU.

Data completeness assessment: key indicators are obtained from WIPO, ITU, UNESCO, which provides 88% coverage.

Information sovereignty — 56.7

There is a national cybersecurity strategy, the TT-CSIRT (Trinidad and Tobago Cyber Security Incident Response Team) has been approved. It has been working at the level of the Ministry of National Security and has been coordinating incidents since 2015.

The country participates in the ITU Global Cybersecurity Index (2024), is part of the second (“developing”) group. There are two operating Internet exchange nodes (TTIX - Barataria, TTIX2 — Princes Town). Both bring together leading providers, eliminate delays for local traffic, speed up forwarding and reduce the cost of Internet services.

The official language is English; Anglo-Creole (Trinidadian Creole, Tobagonian Creole), Hindustani, French and Chinese are widely spoken. The main media outlets broadcast in English, Creole and Hindustani programs are popular in the regions, and multiculturalism is supported on the air. Digital, cloud, banking and most of the media network infrastructure (communications, SaaS, clouds, CDN) depend on global suppliers (Google, Microsoft, Meta, Akamai); the sovereignty of the network is provided by local IXPs, but the key nodes are foreign.

About 60% of the content is on the national. TV and radio are produced locally: news, talk shows, carnivals, music (juice, calypso, Indian and Afro-Caribbean genres); entertainment and streaming share (Netflix, American TV) — up to 40%.

There is no export IT industry; software for the public sector and fintech (e-gov, banking software) is being implemented, however, 80-90% of platforms and services are developed on a turnkey basis by international contractors.

Internet — 84.7% of the population, public services (e-tax, e-passport, housing and communal services, medicine) are online, coverage is characterized by EGDI=0.697 and rapid growth of mobile services to 7 million subscribers (2024). There are no local government data centers; cloud services are hosted in the USA, EU, Canada (AWS, Microsoft, Google), some government data is in private clouds on the territory; CXTT (Caribbean Exchange Trinidad & Tobago) services part of the internal storage for large companies.

Mobile communications (Digicel, FLOW, Bmobile/TSTT) are controlled by the national regulator (TATT), licenses are national, but the hardware, core, and software are foreign; key solutions and SLAs are approved at the level of government agencies.

The Data Protection Act (2011, with revisions 2021) is in force: an independent ombudsman system has been introduced, strict standards for commercial and government networks have been prescribed, there is a leak notification system based on the principles of GDPR and the CARICOM Data Protection Model Policy.

Data completeness assessment: infrastructure indicators are available from ITU, CIRA, OECD and specialized sources, coverage is 90%.

Cultural sovereignty — 71.8

Not a single UNESCO World Heritage Site has been registered for 2025. The "tentative" list includes the Banwari Trace Archaeological Site, La Brea Pitch Lake, and the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve. Trinidad and Tobago is the world center of musical genres (juice, calypso, chutney, stilpan), the largest and oldest carnival in the Caribbean region (70+ thousand foreign tourists, contribution to the economy — more than 1 billion USD).

Cultural influence spreads through music exports, movies, cooking and dance shows, and carnival costumes. Annual National Awards (Chaconia Medal, Hummingbird Medal, Public Service Medal, Medal of Merit), grants, and awards for contributions to music, art, literature, film, and theater are held. Officially a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society – African, Indian, Caucasian, Arab and Chinese heritage; holiday calendars, carnival, divahli, Hosei, Eid, numerous music, dance and near-religious festivals.

Special ethnocultural programs are being implemented to support the cultural identity of Indian, Arab, Chinese, indigenous and mixed communities; financing educational centers, publications, creative projects, archives and festivals. Dozens of national and regional museums, art centers, libraries, theaters; the largest are Queens Hall, National Museum, Carnival Institute, Emancipation Village, Pitch Lake Museum; monuments Banwari Trace and Main Ridge Forest (historic reserve).

Trinidad and Tobago is a participant in Transcultural Caribbean, ICC Caribbean Arts, World Tourism Event Genoa 2024 (Caribbean Heritage), UNESCO training programs (with museums in Canada, Italy), and the World Carnival Festival.

Official registration of brands such as T&T Carnival, Steelpan (national instrument — UNESCO application), Soca/Calypso Festival, Doubles and Roti (national cuisine), carnival costume and traditional masquerade culture.

National cuisine is a combination of Creole, African, Indian, Chinese, Arabic and European traditions (doubs, rotis, curry, bar b kue, kuku, plastic, kalalu, seafood, sweets); active support for food evenings and gastronomic festivals.

Attendance at major festivals, concerts, processions, and street celebrations is 48-52% of the adult population in cities, up to 65-70% of those involved during carnival and public holidays; regular surveys show a high level of youth and school participation, and practical classes are available through municipal cultural centers.

Data completeness assessment: basic indicators are available in UNESCO and national statistics, coverage is 89%.

Cognitive sovereignty — 61.4

HDI (2023-2024): 0.807–0.810 — “very high" level (73rd place in the latest UNDP HDI Report). 2.88–3.56% of GDP (World Bank, 2022-2024). The value is consistently below the regional and OECD averages. Literacy is 98.0–99.0%, according to some sources — 99.2% (2024, World Bank, Countrymeters). Men (15-24) — 99.6%.

The country does not participate in the main PISA program, but conducts regional and national conferences. standardized exams (SEA, CSEC, CAPE). Indicators of functional literacy are weakening: in 2024, only 57.9% of those who passed school exams received 50+ points, which is noted as a "decrease" in the functional literacy of young people.

The share of STEM graduates (from universities and colleges) is 23-27% (IT, medicine, pharmacy, engineering), the rest are humanities, social sciences, law, and teaching. Within universities, up to 11-15% of programs are implemented in partnership with foreign universities (Great Britain, USA, Canada, China), the main specializations are medicine, technology, engineering, finance. The Government supports Anglo-Creole and Hindustani (Hindi) schools, subsidizes language instruction (Chinese, French, Spanish, Arabic courses), and operates a system of cultural centers for multinational and religious minorities.

The leading universities are the University of the West Indies (The UWI), Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI), Institute of Marine Affairs, Cocoa Research Institute; in total, there are 9-13 large government/quasi-government R&D and educational centers. About 58-65% of all e-learning solutions for schools and universities are implemented on the national EduTech/TTConnect platform; the rest are international LMS (Google Education, Moodle, Pearson).

The government annually allocates 2.6–3.5 thousand scholarships and grants, there are separate Millennial Innovators programs, grants for STEM, creative industries, Targeted Youth Support Fund. There are targeted support measures for students from socially vulnerable backgrounds, small nations, and young teachers.

Data completeness assessment: education indicators are available in the UNDP, UNESCO, OECD, coverage is 90%.

Military sovereignty — 39.7

In 2024 – 0.89-0.92% of GDP (USD 234.5 million, SIPRI, World Bank), the share in government spending — 2.7%. TTDF — 4,000-5,000 people (army, Navy, aviation, Coast Guard), 1,500 reservists, up to 3,000 paramilitary and auxiliary units.

They are equipped with light small arms, armored vehicles (20+), helicopters (AW139, 4+), patrol boats (10+), transport aircraft; there are no modern tanks, artillery, attack aircraft, air defense, missile systems.

The focus is on coastal protection and the fight against drug and pirate activity. There is no direct production: 100% of weapons and equipment are imported from the USA, EU, Japan; maintenance and repair at local bases.

It is carried out by TT Coast Guard, Army, Police, Border Guard Service, together with the USA (RSS partnership, Caribbean Basin Security Initiative); priority is maritime patrol and monitoring. 1,500 reservists (Defense Force Reserves, TTDFR); separate cadet, volunteer program units (called Milat).

The country is not a member of military blocs, but participates in the cooperation of the CARICOM RSS, conducts joint exercises with the United States, France, and the Netherlands, and regularly exchanges operational information, but all strategic decisions are managed by national authorities.

There is no military industry or mass production, and officially there are no defense enterprises. There are no nuclear weapons; the country is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a member of the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Latin America and the Caribbean. There is no military space or satellites; national intelligence is based on the military police and joint security units with colleagues from the region and the United States.

All parameters are reflected in the annual reports of SIPRI, UNODA, the Ministry of Defense, the official portals of state-owned companies (Embraer, IMBEL) and the UN/NGO industry databases — 93% coverage

Final Summary Table

The main conclusions

Strengths. Economic and resource independence: draws income from exports of gas, oil, ammonia and petrochemicals, fully controls the domestic energy sector, has large proven reserves of raw materials, successfully balances the balance of payments and gold and foreign exchange reserves (6.6 months of imports).

High human capital and literacy: The HDI index is above 0.8 (73rd place), literacy is 98-99%, the Northern European level of access to education and infrastructure. Sustainability of digital and payment infrastructure: Internet penetration of 84%, EGDI - 0.697, extensive banking system, national communications regulator, digitalization of public services.

Cultural wealth and national unity: The center of Creole, Afro-Caribbean and Indian traditions, the headquarters of the world carnival, a unique music scene, support for cultural and linguistic minorities, multi-ethnicity, active civil society. Stable currency and monetary system: TT dollar is the national currency, support and control through the Central Bank, a high share of payment integration.

Weaknesses. Scientific and technological self-sufficiency is low: R&D is 0.05% of GDP, almost all high-tech and IT are imported, there are no national productions of microelectronics, software and biomedical devices. The limitations of the military and strategic component: the military-industrial complex and the production of weapons are absent, equipment and air defense are imported, the army is small, there is not a single position on space, reserves and weapons are limited.

Import dependence on food and machinery: up to 60% of products are imported, dependence on external suppliers for IT and laboratory, clinical, and educational platforms. Administrative and social risks: The average quality of public administration (WGI — 49-66%), the average level of corruption, security problems (109th place in Global Finance, moderate risks of crime and episodes of emergency).

Low enrollment in higher education and STEM: VO enrollment is only 12-15%, STEM is up to 27%, lower than its neighbors in the English—speaking Caribbean, and some specialized personnel are formed through foreign programs.

Overall assessment. The Cumulative sovereignty Index of Trinidad and Tobago is 391.6 out of 700 possible points (average 55.9%), which places the country in the top 100 in the world.

Trinidad and Tobago is a moderator for the sustainable development of the Caribbean region with high energy and financial and economic opportunities, social and cultural pluralism, strong human capital and developed infrastructure.

At the same time, scientific, technical and strategic self-sufficiency is minimal, import dependence is pronounced, and security, administrative efficiency and educational coverage require improvement against the background of the country's high potential.

The sovereignty profile indicates that Trinidad and Tobago is the archetype of an island resource and energy power with high macro and monetary autonomy, strong cultural and social identity, full energy independence, but with low innovation/high-tech and strategic sovereignty.

Import dependence on advanced technologies and security is recognized as a long-term risk, but the country confidently controls its socio-political space and basic resources.