Dutch Caribbean Islands

The islands of Bonaire, St. Sonaire and Saba are located in the Caribbean and have been special municipalities of the Netherlands since 2010. This change in administration has resulted in greater benefits related to social determinants and health, a universal health insurance system and improved medical care and education.

In 2000 the total population of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba was 13 960 inhabitants; by 2023 this figure had risen to 27 148, representing a 94.5% increase.

Regarding the country’s demographic profile, in 2023 people over 65 years of age accounted for 14.3% of the total population, an increase of 6.7 percentage points compared to the year 2000. In 2023, there were 95.8 women per 100 men and 85.7 older people (65 years or older) per 100 children under 15 years of age.

Considering the population between 15 and 64 years of age to be potentially active (i.e., potential participants in the labor force), this group represented 69.0% of the total population of the country in 2023 (18 745 people). When we add these figures to the potentially passive population (4 525 under 15 years of age and 3 879 over 65 years of age), the result is a dependency ratio of 44.8 potentially passive people per 100 potentially active people. This ratio was 50.9 in 2000. Life expectancy at birth in 2023 was 77.1 years, lower than the average for the Region of the Americas and 2.0 years higher that in 2000.

(Read More: Health in the Americas+)

BONAIRE

Bonaire is located 70 km off the coast of Venezuela and has a landmass of 288 km². Between 2011 and 2016, its population grew by 23% as a result of immigration, totaling 19,408 in 2016. Population distribution is concentrated around 50 years of age. In 2016, 37% of residents had been born on the island. The rest came from Curaçao (18%), Aruba (2%), the Dutch mainland (14%), and Latin America (18%). Life expectancy in these municipalities is estimated at 80.2 years. In 2014, economic growth was 1.6%, with national GDP estimated at US$ 403 million. Government, real estate, financial services, and tourism are the main economic sectors.

SINT EUSTATIUS

Sint Eustatius lies in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea between Saint Kitts and Anguilla, with a landmass of 21 km². In 2016, the municipality had a population of 3,200 (800 fewer people than in 2014), 79% of whom held Dutch nationality. The population structure is influenced both by in- and out-migration, contributing to a proportionally large working-age population. Some 34% of residents were born on the island, 11% were born in Sint Maarten, 9% in Curaçao or Aruba, and 6% on the Dutch mainland. Most of the population (68%) is multilingual: 85% speaks English as a first language, 6% speaks Dutch, and 7% Spanish. The population of Saint Eustatius declined by 21% between 2014 and January 2016. The gross domestic product per capita was US$ 25,100 in 2014.

SABA

Saba is also located in the Leeward Islands, occupying a landmass of 13 km². In 2016, it had a population of almost 2,000. The population structure is influenced both by in- and out-migration, especially in the working-age population. The population grew by 5% between 2014 and 2016, increasing by 136 people. The population is evenly distributed between males and females. 28% of residents were born in Saba; 14% in Sint Maarten; 5% in Aruba and Curaçao, and 5% on the Dutch mainland; 60% of the population has Dutch nationality. The per capita gross domestic product was US$ 25,100 that year. Tourism, the Saba University School of Medicine, fisheries, and infrastructure investments are the main economic drivers.

(Source: Health in the Americas, 2017 Edition)