UN analysis puts St. Maarten poverty rate at 22%

About 22% of St. Maarten’s population is estimated to live below the national poverty line, according to the United Nations’ 2026 Common Country Analysis. The analysis uses Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean methodology and says current household and poverty data are insufficient to establish the full extent and characteristics of poverty.

The UN said per-capita income was about US$29,000 in 2024, while the top 20% of households received more than 55% of national income. It said housing and electricity costs were among the highest in the region and that income and access to services and social protection were uneven, particularly for lower-income households, migrants, informal workers, women and young people.

According to the analysis, the last comprehensive census was conducted in 2011, labour-force surveys are irregular, poverty surveys are absent and administrative datasets are fragmented. It said the last household survey was conducted in 2005.

The UN said social assistance enrolment doubled between 2018 and 2023. It also said temporary social-protection benefits introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic with Dutch-funded liquidity support expired in 2023.

The analysis said Government has committed to combine fragmented assistance schemes through a unified social registry and digital payment system. The UN called for better data systems, a national social-protection policy and stronger coordination among Government institutions.