THE HAGUE - According to the State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen, the demographic developments for Curaçao are difficult to interpret. She wrote this to the standing committee for Kingdom Relations in the context of the budget discussion.
The committee had asked about the current population of the Caribbean islands and their development in the coming years.
The population of Curaçao is aging, but according to Van Huffelen, developments are highly dependent on regional developments that could affect the migration movement of refugees from Venezuela.
Decline
According to the Curaçao Bureau of Statistics, the island had 151,066 inhabitants as of January 1, 2022. That is a decrease compared to the population as of January 1, 2021, when the population was 153,671 souls.
In addition, the State Secretary calls this number an uncertain estimate, because last year there was an increase in the number of undocumented refugees from Venezuela who have settled in Curaçao.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, estimates that there are currently more than 15,000 Venezuelan refugees residing in Curaçao. That equates to about ten percent of the population.