WILLEMSTAD – Women in Curaçao are on average more highly educated than men and make up the majority of the island’s workforce, yet they continue to earn significantly less. That is according to figures published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in connection with International Women’s Day on March 8.
According to the statistics office, Curaçao had more than 156,000 residents on January 1, 2025. Of that total, nearly 86,000 are women and just over 70,000 are men. Women therefore make up about 55 percent of the population, equivalent to roughly 82 men for every 100 women.
Women also form the majority in the labor market. Of the approximately 72,000 people employed on the island, more than 38,000 are women compared with nearly 34,000 men. The CBS notes that between 2022 and 2024 the number of working women increased faster than the number of working men.
Data from the 2023 census further shows that women generally have a higher level of education. Women are less represented in the lowest education categories and more often found in secondary and higher education levels.
Among people aged 25 to 64, more than 16 percent of women hold a bachelor’s degree, compared with nearly 12 percent of men. A master’s degree has been obtained by almost nine percent of women and 7.5 percent of men.
Despite these differences in education and labor participation, income disparities remain. Men earn more than women on average in almost all age groups. The only exception is among young people aged 15 to 24, where women earn slightly more, about one percent higher on average.
From the age group of 25 to 34, women earn an average of seven percent less than men. The gap widens to ten percent for those aged 35 to 44, 25 percent for those aged 45 to 54, and 29 percent for people between 55 and 64 years old. Among those aged 65 and older, the difference is the largest, with women earning on average 52 percent less than men.
According to the CBS, the income gap has narrowed compared with 2011. In all age groups the difference has decreased, although disparities remain significant, especially later in life.
The 2023 census also highlights the role of women in household structures. Curaçao has nearly 59,000 households. Households consisting of a woman with children represent almost 16 percent of the total, while single women account for more than nine percent. By comparison, households where a man lives alone with children make up about 2.4 percent of all households.