The latest provisional estimates have been released for the numbers of passenger arrivals and departures to and from St Helena, up to the end of March 2025.
Note: Estimates of the arrivals of St Helenians and those arriving for leisure are not yet available for November 2024 onwards, due to a change in immigration arrival procedures.
Arrivals
In March 2025, there were an estimated 549 arrivals, with 426 arriving by air; this compares with 314 arrivals in March 2024, with 267 arriving by air.
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During the last 12 months (April 2024 to March 2025) there have been 5,008 arrivals, compared to 4,363 in the same period a year ago – a 14.8% increase.
Departures
In March 2025 there were an estimated 612 departures from the island, 63 more than the number of arrivals. During the last 12 months (April 2024 to March 2025), there were a total of 5,022 departures, compared to 4,433 in the same period a year ago – an increase of 13.3%.
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Get the data
A file in Excel format with detailed monthly statistics on arrivals and departures to March 2025 can be downloaded here.
The Highways Authority has granted approval for the closure of Napoleon Street from the Brow to Nosegay Lane from 09:00 to 15:00 on the following days:
Wednesday, 4 June 2025
Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Wednesday 18 June 2025
This closure is essential to facilitate slurry works, which will improve the surface quality of the road.
Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the duration of the closure. Roadside pavements will remain accessible, and on-site personnel will be readily available to guide pedestrians safely through the work area.
Side Path Road will remain open for vehicular traffic, specifically cars. Vehicles will be diverted near the Guide Hall at the brow, adhering to the 2-ton weight restriction in place. Trucks and buses will be required to divert at Constitution Road to access Jamestown. We encourage drivers of larger vehicles to plan their routes accordingly to minimise disruption.
The Road Section extends its sincere thanks to all residents and road users for their continued support and cooperation during these necessary works.
“It is both an honour and a moment of reflection as I present what will be the final budget under this first ministerial form of government—and my final budget as the Minister responsible for Finance.
Last year, I stood here and emphasised the importance of teamwork across all sectors of our island. This year, I can say with confidence that teamwork is delivering results and I therefore encourage this to continue.
Our shared vision remains steadfast—to empower the people of St Helena to shape their own futures, create their own opportunities, and to do so without leaving anyone behind.
This year, I want to shift the focus slightly—to valuing and investing in our people. Government’s role is to create the conditions for prosperity, not to micromanage it, and together, I believe we have laid the foundation on which the next government can continue to build a strong and sustainable future for all.
Our priority is clear: we aim to create an enabling environment that allows people and businesses to thrive, while preserving what makes St Helena unique.”
The budget includes a 5% increase (£1.7 million), in the Financial Aid settlement from the UK Government when compared to the settlement for 2024/25. This means total available funding from the UK Government in 2025/26 is £35.79 million. Additionally, £13.5 million has also been allocated this year for capital expenditure—a substantial investment in the island’s infrastructure.
In his budget speech, Minister Brooks acknowledged what such an uplift in financial aid means in the context of the UK’s own fiscal tightening which he highlighted was “not just generous, I believe it depicts a vote of confidence in the direction of travel St Helena is heading, and the hard but much needed steps we are taking in moving the island forward.”
Together with the £6.65 million BIOT funding received this year, it means that St Helena will receive nearly £56 million support this year—a significant step forward in our journey of transformation.
In concluding his budget speech, Minister Brooks expressed gratitude to His Majesty’s Government for their ongoing support, to colleagues and the public service for their dedication and hard work, and to the people of St Helena.
He said:
“Above all, gratitude to the people of St Helena, who continue to show what makes this island truly special. The spirit, resilience, and pride of our people. And it’s this same spirit that gives me hope for the future. As we transition to a new government, I believe this budget gives the next Government a strong platform to build on—and a clear sense of direction. We have challenges ahead, yes—but also real momentum. And most importantly, we have each other. Let us never forget: what makes St Helena unique is not our isolation, but our unity.”
The motion to consider the Appropriation Bill 2025 now stands adjourned until Thursday, 29 May 2025, when the details of the Bill will be debated by Legislative Council.
Allocations for recurrent expenditure proposed in the Appropriation Bill 2025 and the Budget Book are as follows:
Central Support Service —£10.8 million
Attorney General’s Chambers — £0.1 million
Safety, Security and Home Affairs — £3.0 million
Judicial Services — £0.1 million
Treasury — £8.9 million
Police Operations — £0.9 million
Economic Development — £5.9 million
Education, Skills and Employment — £3.9 million
Health and Social Care — £9.7 million
Environment, Natural Resources and Planning — £1.7 million
The total amount proposed to be appropriated as recurrent expenditure in 2024/25 is £45.0 million. In addition, £6.2 million for recurrent expenditure for pensions and benefits will be provided via standing appropriations.
A further £0.6 million for capital expenditure will be provided across the following portfolios:
This update releases new estimates of gross annual incomes of full-time employees (i.e. wages) for the 2023/24 financial year, with comparable estimates for previous years from 2013/14 onwards. To download the full dataset in Excel format, please click here.
These estimates measure gross before-tax incomes of persons in regular full-time employment on St Helena, reported through the Pay-As-You-Earn tax collection system. They exclude company and self-employment incomes, incomes of Technical Cooperation (TC) Officers of the St Helena Government, investment income, Income Related Benefits, incomes from pensions (including the Basic Island Pension), and part-time and part-year incomes, all as far as they can be identified in the dataset. All annual estimates are rounded to the nearest £10.
Median wage levels, adjusted for inflation
The median annual wage on St Helena in 2023/24 is estimated to be £10,490, in 2023/24 prices. When price inflation is taken into account, this is 3.8% higher than the median wage in 2022/23 (Chart 1).
Chart 1. Annual gross wages from full-time employment: median and upper and lower quartiles, 2013/14 to 2023/24 (inflation-adjusted 2023/24 prices)
The median is the usual measure of average incomes or wages because it is less sensitive to small numbers of relatively high wage earners in a population than the mean, which is the more common method used in other statistics. A median wage level of £10,490 means that, for 2023/24, half the people earning full-time wages from non-TC employment had gross wages that were less than £10,490, and half had gross wages that were higher.
Wage level range
Chart 1 also shows the upper and lower quartiles; the lower quartile is the point at which a quarter of wages are lower, and the upper quartile is the point at which a quarter of wages are higher; half of all employment wages lie between the lower and upper quartiles. For 2023/24 half of all full-time employees earned between £8,490 and £13,940. The gap between the upper and lower quartiles is smaller in 2023/24 than in 2013/14 and 2014/15, likely the result of a number of relatively higher paid workers leaving the workforce when St Helena’s Airport was completed in 2016 and 2017.
Median incomes are also reported for each decile in the dataset; each decile includes one tenth of all incomes, from the lowest to the highest. It is notable that the median incomes of all deciles increased by at least 3% when inflation is taken into account, apart from the top two deciles (i.e. the highest earners), which both decreased by around 1%.
Differences in wage levels between women and men
Chart 2 shows inflation-adjusted median wages from employment broken down by male and female employees, between 2013/14 and 2023/24. For every year, the male median wage has been higher than the female median wage, but the gap between the two has narrowed in recent years, and has almost disappeared in 2022/23 and 2023/24. In part this is also due to the completion of the new Airport; construction workers employed were predominantly male, relatively higher paid, and many of them have since either left St Helena or found alternative lower paid employment.
Chart 2. Median real gross annual wages from employment, male and female 2013/14 to 2023/24, in constant 2023/24 prices (i.e. adjusted for inflation)
Average wage levels by occupation
Employees have been classified into their main occupational grouping using the International Standard Classification of Occupations published by the United Nations (International Labour Organisation). Chart 3 shows estimates of median wages in each of these major groupings, for 2023/24, excluding TC Officers and 17 persons that could not be classified by occupation.
The groups of occupations with the highest wages, on average, were Managers, Professionals, and Technicians and Associate Professionals. These groups accounted for 499 employees, or 31% of non-TC employees. The occupations with the lowest wages, on average, were Skilled Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Workers, Services and Sales Workers, and Elementary Occupations (this group includes unskilled labourers). These groups accounted for 691 employees, or 43% of non-TC Officers.
Chart 3. Median gross annual wages from employment by occupational grouping, 2023/24
Average wage levels by industry
Employees have also been classified into their main industry grouping using the International Standard Industrial Classification published by the United Nations. Industries differ from occupations, since they indicate the principle economic activity to which each employee contributes; mainly, the classification by industry derives from employers. Chart 4 shows estimates of median wages in each major grouping, for non-TC employees, and excluding 14 persons that could not be classified.
In 2023/24 the groups of industries with the highest wages, on average, were Finance, Insurance, Information, Communication and Real Estate, Transportation and Storage, and Public Administration. The industries with the lowest wages, on average, were Professional, Scientific, Technical, Administrative and Support Service Activities, Accommodation and Food Service Activities, and Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing.
Chart 4. Median gross annual wages from employment by industry, 2023/24
Numbers of persons in full-time employment
Chart 5 shows the number of persons with wages from full-time employment above and below the income tax allowance, excluding TC officers. Personal income below the income tax allowance is not subject to income tax.
The total estimated number of persons with wages from full-time employment rose to 1,949 in 2017/18, the year when the new airport was opened and most construction activities were completed. Since then, the number has tended to fall slightly each year; in 2021/22, there were an estimated 1,668 persons with wages from full-time employment, and in 2023/24 this is estimated to be 1,596.
Even though the total number of full time employees has declined in the last few years, the number of full-time employees above the income tax allowance of £7,000 increased slightly in 2023/24, to 1,491. The number of people earning more than the minimum wage but not earning enough to pay income tax fell to 105 in 2023/24.
Chart 5. Number of employees in full-time employment, 2013/14 to 2023/24
Get the data
The complete set of statistics on average gross incomes from employment from 2013/14 to 2023/24 is available here. For more statistical data on the St Helena Economy, see sainthelena.gov.sh/statistics.
Methodology
Data source. Statistics on wages and incomes on St Helena are derived from a computerised database maintained by the Income Tax Office, which captures information about all wage earners whose details are submitted through the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) system. There are some limitations when using this database as a source for estimating incomes; for example, informal income earned may not be declared; it is difficult to distinguish full-time and part-time workers and full-year and part-year incomes; and a small number of reported incomes may include second jobs or other sources of income.
Gross income (wages) from employment. The primary analysis in this Bulletin uses average gross incomes from employment, also referred to as wages. Income from investments (including employer pension schemes) and from self-employment, benefits, or the Basic Island Pension is excluded, as far as they can be identified. Incomes are gross, that is, before any tax is deducted, and all published estimates are rounded to the nearest £10 (calculations of constant price estimates are made on the unrounded estimates and growth rate calculations are made using the rounded estimates). Only incomes that are high enough to represent full-time employment from a 32.5 hour working week are included; this is a slight change in methodology, and has been reduced from 35 hours to ensure all incomes resulting from roughly 35 hours of work per week are included.
Median. The median is a measure of the average value of a set of numbers. It is the ‘middle number’ in a ranked list, the value at which exactly half the population has a smaller value and half has a higher value. It is preferred to the mean when estimating average incomes or wages, since it is less easily ‘skewed’ by a few individuals with relatively large incomes.
Mean. The mean is a measure of the average value of a set of numbers; it is derived by adding all the numbers together, and dividing by the number of values in the dataset. While it is the most common measure of the average for many applications, it can produce misleading results for estimating average incomes because it can be biased by small numbers of relatively high incomes.
Adjusting for inflation. Most of the average income estimates are adjusted for the impact of price inflation, using St Helena’s Retail Price Index to estimate relevant statistics in 2023/24 prices. Inflation-adjusted estimates are called ‘constant’ or ‘real’; unadjusted estimates are called ‘nominal’ or ‘current’. Inflation-adjustment makes comparisons over time more meaningful, since any change up or down shows whether a person has more or less purchasing power. For example, the median nominal gross income for 2013/14 was £7,780 per year. But prices were not the same in 2023/24 as they were in 2013/14; an employee would need to have earned £10,300 a year to buy the same amount of goods and services in 2023/24 that they could buy in 2013/14 with £7,780. So £10,300 is the average gross income in 2013/14 stated in 2023/24 prices.
Eliminating part-year and part-time incomes. A lower bound threshold is set to try to ensure that part-time or under-reported incomes are excluded from the analysis as far as possible; the threshold is set using the Minimum Wage for a 32.5 hour week (this is a slight change, from the previous threshold which used 35 hours). Incomes that were assessed for income tax using an allowance of half a year or less have also been excluded.
Exclusion of Technical Cooperation Officers from the analysis. Technical Cooperation Officers are persons employed by St Helena Government following international recruitment as a result of limited labour availability in particular occupations on the Island; in 2023/24, 92% of them were Managers, Professionals, Associate Professionals, or Technicians, and 95% of them worked in Public Administration (which includes the Police and various legal professions), Human Health and Social Work (which includes Doctors and Nurses), and Education (which includes Teachers). They are employed for a fixed period of time on internationally competitive pay scales and terms and conditions which differ from those recruited locally on St Helena. As such, their incomes are not typical and so are excluded from the main statistics on incomes.
Contact us and find out more
The team at the Statistics Office currently comprises Neil Fantom, Statistical Commissioner, Kelly Clingham and Justine Joshua, Senior Statistical Assistants, and Courtney O’Dean, Statistics Assistant. Please visit us in person; the Statistics Office is on the second floor of the Post Office, Jamestown. Call by, we would love to see you! You can also contact us by telephone: our direct line is 22138. If calling from overseas, the international dialling code for St Helena is +290. Our general office email address is: statistics@sainthelena.gov.sh, or you can email team members directly (the format is firstname.lastname@sainthelena.gov.sh).
For more statistical data and reports, covering many aspects of St Helena’s social and economic development, please visit us on the web: www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/statistics.
On Saturday, 26 April 2025 at approximately 07:30, the Spanish-flagged fishing vessel, Madre Josefa Uno arrived in St Helena port with a crew member requiring medical attention.
In line with their responsibility to protect St Helena’s Marine Protected Area (MPA), the Marine Compliance and Enforcement Section (MC&ES) used this visit as an opportunity to test the procedure to ensure the vessel’s activities adhered to St Helena’s MPA requirements.
The vessel was tracked through St Helena’s MPA using Automatic Identification System (AIS), having previously been monitored via satellite surveillance by Blue Belt (BB) through the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). This ongoing surveillance aims to detect any irregular activity within the MPA.
Tracking data showed that the vessel entered the MPA on 25 April 2025 from the east-southeast and departed northbound on 28 April 2025. There were no signs of the vessel stopping or engaging in fishing activity as speed and AIS signals remained consistent throughout. This travel pattern suggested that no fishing gear was deployed, as retrieval would have required the vessel to return along the same route.
To confirm these observations, MC&ES personnel led by Marine Enforcement Officer (MEO) Kelly Jonas, accompanied by Marine Compliance and Enforcement Officer (MC&EO) Peter Young, conducted an informal inspection of the vessel. . During the inspection, the captain of Madre Josefa Uno reported that the vessel had ceased fishing activities on 22 April 2025, whilst operating within the 400m buffer zone of the island. The MEO reviewed the vessel’s fishing logs, which had previously been submitted to the Spanish authorities, confirming that fishing operations concluded on that date with the logs were formally closed upon the vessel’s entry into St Helena’s MPA on 25 April 2025.
The fishing gear and equipment on board the vessel was inspected and found to be dry, indicating it had not been used during the vessels time in St Helena waters. This conclusion was further evidenced by the fishing hold containing only bait and previously caught frozen swordfish, blue shark, and oil fish.
The MC&ES continues to monitor the vessel since leaving St Helena and up to 27 May 2025 tracking data shows that the vessel remains in the northern area of the island approximately 74NM outside of St Helena’s MPA.
The St Helena Prison Service wishes to inform the public that, following medical advice and a report in accordance with the Prisons Rules, the Governor, having consulted the Prison Visiting Committee, approved the transfer of a seriously ill, increasingly immobile prisoner currently serving a sentence of imprisonment in HMP Jamestown from that prison to continue his detention at a location where the prisoner’s care needs can be appropriately met. Whilst there he will continue to serve his sentence. Any form of pardon or reduction of sentence was explicitly dismissed.
Whilst continuing his detention the prisoner will remain under the supervision of the Prison Superintendent and be subject to strict conditions that include preventing him:
leaving the property;
accessing the internet;
accessing alcohol; and
having visitors other than in accordance with prison rules.
Other restrictions include limiting the rooms in the house the prisoner can use and constraining where the prisoner can go outside the house.
The prisoner will be visited daily by carers and prison staff. The prison staff visits will be made frequently and at irregular times. Medical staff are also expected to visit frequently.
Those most affected by the crimes committed by this prisoner have been informed of these arrangements. The location and provision of his detention will remain under review.
The St Helena Prison Service also wishes to advise the public that any unauthorised attempt to contact or approach the prisoner and any breach of detention conditions will be investigated and, if a crime is detected, it will be considered for prosecution.
The Health and Social Care Portfolio (HSC) is actively monitoring and facilitating a resolution to an ongoing situation regarding the supply of essential medications to the island. Authorities are working diligently with partner agencies to ensure the timely arrival of vital medical supplies for the community.
The recent challenge stems from an unforeseen delay with a large shipment of medical supplies via the regular shipping route from Cape Town. New regulations requiring police clearance and South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) agent approval led to the most recent consignment missing its scheduled voyage after an inspection process. While such inspections are routine, the timing of this particular delay has impacted current stock levels.
The HSC has been in constant communication with its supplier and other relevant stakeholders, exploring all available options to mitigate the situation. Efforts included investigating a chartered flight, which, due to various circumstances, was not feasible this week.
To address the immediate need, plans are in place toairfreight a portion of the necessary medical supplies on scheduled Airlink flights. Due to space requirements, the full consignment may need to be transported in smaller quantities over several flights. This airfreight effort will also include regular cold chain medications that require air transport in accordance with SAHPRA requirements.
St Helena Government (SHG) is fully committed to ensuring that all residents have access to the medications they need. It is anticipated that once the normal sea freight consignments resume, the current issue will be resolved.
Minister for Health and Social Care, Martin Henry, commented:
“We understand the importance of timely access to these medications for the health and well-being of our community. We are all well aware of the physical limitations with the supply chains to St Helena, however the added specific requirements for the export of certain medications is very stringent.
We want to reassure the public that every effort is being made to ensure a steady supply. The HSC are actively working with all parties involved to find a solution and prevent any further potential shortages. We understand the anxiety this situation may cause and we assure you that we are doing everything in our power to resolve it as quickly as possible.”
We thank you for your understanding and patience during this time.
St Helena Government’s (SHG) Consolidated Fund (in other words the principal monies the Government has available to spend) is made up of eight reserves, one of which is the General Reserve (GR).
Unless otherwise required by law all revenue and expenditure generated and incurred by SHG for normal “day to day” government business, is channelled through the GR. SHG’s GR is used for the general purpose of strengthening the financial position of the Government. This includes:
facilitating capital investments and longer-term recurrent expenditure, which cannot be delivered within a single year’s budget
delivering statutory payments which must come from the reserves legally
enabling Government both to meet its expected liabilities and any unexpected liabilities, contingencies, events and emergencies that may arise
funding the legal costs of litigation claims involving the Government and, as needs be making compensation payments
In July 2021, Executive Council approved the minimum balance for the GR of £5 million, but the current GR balance is already below that. This sum was considered to be a prudent amount to ensure the GR could deliver its function of insurance and ideally improve the resilience of SHG finances. Setting an approved minimum balance for the GR is also considered to be good financial management. It sets a commitment to sustainable practices whilst not setting an enforceable constraint.
Currently, the projected budget outturn for the Financial Year ending 2024/2025 is a £0.5 million deficit. This will reduce the GR balance from £4.5 million at 31 March 2024 to £4.0 million at 31 March 2025 – £1 million less than the recommended minimum balance.
One of the principal pressures on the GR balance comes from litigation claims being made against the Government. Historic issues have given rise to a number of medical negligence claims, and human rights claims linked to conditions in HM Prison, Jamestown. If those and other claims result in litigation fees or the Court orders SHG to pay significant compensation, the GR will be completely exhausted. Should the GR be entirely depleted, St Helena as a whole will face extreme financial vulnerability.
Ministers have tasked officials to explore all possible options for maintaining the GR at prudent levels notwithstanding the claims being made. Options include seeking loans as well as looking to implement measures to improve the monitoring and control of spending across all government departments.
The United Kingdom Government (UKG), has made it very clear that it will not provide any additional financial support to St Helena or SHG to cover compensation claims or the costs of litigation. Technical support is being offered by UKG to help explore alternative funding such as by way of a commercial loan. This would however place an additional financial burden on the public finances as any loan would need to be serviced and repaid over time. This would impact on the funds available to provide other essential services in future years.
Chief Minister, Julie Thomas, stated:
“I think it is very important that everyone with an interest in, or love for St Helena knows the pressures our public finances are under. My Ministers and I believe that we are obligatedto make our community aware of SHG’s financial status, so everyone understands the increased financial risk we all face and how depleted our public funds are.
The immense financial pressure placed on the Government necessarily intensifies the need to scrutinise our current Government expenditure. We must carefully consider the costs, risks and liabilities of existing policies and projects and any additional policies and projects that are planned for the future. We must do what we can to safeguard the public finances. This means we must continue to take difficult decisions.
We must keep all SHG provided services and subsidies under continuous review and ensure that if they are maintained, they are maintained sustainably. This includes setting fees for services appropriately. It is a grave position to have to operate within.”
In light of the current financial challenges, SHG remains committed to ensuring the continued delivery of essential services to the community, but it is hoped that sharing our current financial position, will help you to understand the restricted financial parameters SHG are required to operate within.
As previously announced, and as a result of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Migrant Agreement Memorandum of Understanding, HM Customs and Immigration are undertaking specialised training over the next six weeks. Due to the varied scheduling requirements of this essential training, a weekly opening hours schedule will be in effect and will be published accordingly.
The opening hours for the week commencing 26 May 2025 are as follows:
Monday and Tuesday 11:00 – 15:00 (for businesses and individuals receiving and issuing items/shipments)
Wednesday and Thursday 09:00 – 15:00 (for businesses and individuals receiving and issuing items/shipments)
Friday Closed
Consequently, during this training period, the reception desk will be unattended, staff will have limited access to emails and cashier services will be slower which may result in delays. Please also be aware that the HM Customs and Immigration Offices will be closed daily for a staff lunch break between 13:00 and 13:30.
HM Customs and Immigration thanks the public for their cooperation during this important training period, which will ultimately enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of HM Customs and Immigration services in line with our obligations under the BIOT Migrant Agreement Memorandum of Understanding.
