CBCS forecasts 3.1% growth for St. Maarten in 2026
CBCS expects St. Maarten’s economy to grow 3.1% in 2026, while inflation is projected to rise to 2.8%.
The Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) forecasts real gross domestic product growth of 3.1% for St. Maarten in 2026, according to The People’s Tribune’s report on the bank’s September 2026 Economic Bulletin. The projection is 0.5 percentage points above CBCS’s June forecast and follows 3.5% growth in 2025.
The People’s Tribune reported that CBCS expects private demand, residential and commercial construction, and stronger-than-expected tourism to support growth. The bank projects growth of 2.5% in 2027. CBCS also projects inflation to rise from 0.9% in 2025 to 2.8% in 2026, driven largely by international oil prices and transportation costs, before easing to 2.3% in 2027.
According to The People’s Tribune, CBCS projects the current budget surplus to rise from 0.7% of GDP in 2025 to 1.2% in 2026 and 1.5% in 2027. Public debt is projected to fall from 40.7% of GDP in 2025 to 39.2% this year and 38.4% next year.
The bank identified disaster-risk financing, climate resilience, infrastructure and public services as priorities as tourism expands, The People’s Tribune reported. It also cited geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation, energy prices, shipping costs and weaker global growth as risks to the monetary union.
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