WILLEMSTAD – Nearly 30 percent of households in Curaçao are currently living below the poverty line, according to the latest figures from the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS), highlighting the scale of economic hardship on the island despite broader economic growth.
The poverty threshold, defined by CBS as the minimum income required to meet basic needs, is set at 3,200 guilders gross per month for a family.
The situation is even more severe in economically vulnerable neighborhoods such as Scharloo, Fortuna, and Koraal Specht, where between 46 and 60 percent of households fall below that line.
According to analysts, poverty on the island is no longer limited to low income alone. The growing reality is what experts describe as “multidimensional poverty,” where financial hardship is combined with problems in housing, health care, and education.
The data also points to intergenerational poverty, with multiple generations within the same family facing persistent economic struggles.
The figures raise new questions about how economic growth is being distributed across society, as large parts of the population continue to struggle with basic living conditions.