Although material well-being levels are relatively low, most inhabitants of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are satisfied with life. Disposable income is lower than in the European part of the Netherlands, and many people find it difficult to make ends meet. Income inequality is also high on the islands. These are among the results presented in CBS’ second edition of the Monitor of Well-being and the Sustainable Development Goals 2023 for the Caribbean Netherlands.

Well-being refers to the quality of life here and now and the extent to which it is or is not achieved at the expense of the well-being of future generations and/or people elsewhere in the world. The monitor for the Caribbean Netherlands is still under development, and this year also includes the well-being dimension ‘here and now’ and nine of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The monitor focuses on the period 2015-2022.Some 90 percent of islanders satisfied with life

Life satisfaction was high on all three islands in 2021. Inhabitants of Sint Eustatius were particularly satisfied with their lives (93.1 percent), but on Saba (88.4 percent) and Bonaire (87.5 percent), too, life satisfaction levels were higher than in the European part of the Netherlands, where 83.6 percent of people gave their lives a mark of 7 out of 10 or higher. Moreover, satisfaction with life increased on Sint Eustatius.

Low material well-being

Material well-being can also be expressed in terms of how many people have difficulty making ends meet. On Saba this percentage has fallen since 2017, to 22.6 percent in 2021, on Sint Eustatius (32 percent) and Bonaire (19.7 percent) it remained stable in this period.

Income inequality remains substantial

Income inequality is relatively large in the Caribbean Netherlands. In 2021 the twenty percent of households with the highest incomes on the three islands had between 7 and 11 times as much income as the twenty percent of households with the lowest incomes (the 80/20 ratio). The highest incomes in the European Netherlands are 4.5 times as high as those in the lowest group. Income inequality hardly changed on the islands between 2015 and 2021.

Another way to measure income inequality is by calculating the Gini coefficient. This coefficient is between 0 and 1, where 0 means all incomes are equally distributed. The Gini coefficient values for Bonaire (0.39), Sint Eustatius (0.41), and Saba (0.36) in 2021 were higher than those for the European part of the Netherlands (0.29).

 

High labour participation

Although material well-being is low on the islands, labor participation is relatively high. Net participation rates were even higher on Bonaire and Sint Eustatius in 2022 than in the European part of the Netherlands, which itself had the highest rate in the EU. The differences in participation rates between men and women are smaller in the Caribbean Netherlands. Saba has the lowest labor participation rate of the three islands.

Relatively low education level

A person’s level of education is important for their future labor market career and income level. Relatively many people in the Caribbean Netherlands have a low level of education. This is especially true for Bonaire and Sint Eustatius, where 50.5 and 61.7 percent of the population aged 15 to 74 years had a low education level in 2022. On Bonaire, this percentage was also higher than two years previously. Despite the relatively low levels of education, in 2021 over 70 percent of island inhabitants aged 15 years and older were satisfied with the learning opportunities they had.

Explanation

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• –          SDG 1: No poverty,
• –          SDG 3: Good health and well-being,
• –          SDG 4: Quality education,
• –          SDG 5: Gender equality,
• –          SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy,
• –          SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth,
• –          SDG 10: Reduced inequalities,
• –          SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities,
• –          SDG 16: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Standardized income

Disposable income corrected for differences in household size and composition. This makes it possible to compare the income levels of different households with each other.

De 80/20 ratio

The ratio of the total income of the highest quintile group (80) to the total income of the lowest quintile group (20). If incomes are distributed evenly, i.e. every household has the same income, the ratio 80/20 equals 1.

Education level

Education level refers to the highest level of education completed. It can be classified into 5 or 3 levels.

The 5-level classification is:

• 1. Primary education and special needs primary education.
• 2. Prevocational secondary education (VMBO), secondary vocational education level 1 (MBO 1), first three years of senior general secondary education (HAVO), or pre-university secondary education (VWO).
• 3. Senior years of senior general secondary education (HAVO) or pre-university secondary education (VWO), secondary vocational education levels 2, 3, or 4 (MBO 2, 3, or 4).
• 4. Higher vocational education (HBO), university bachelor’s degree.
• 5. University master’s degree, PhD.

 

The 3-level classification is:

• 1. Low: primary education, special needs primary education, prevocational secondary education (VMBO), secondary vocational education level 1 or equivalent (MBO 1), first three years of senior general secondary education (HAVO) or pre-university secondary education (VWO).
• 2. Secondary: senior years of senior general secondary education (HAVO) or pre-university secondary education (VWO), secondary vocational education levels 2, 3, or 4 (MBO 2, 3, or 4)
• 3. High: higher vocational education (HBO), university bachelor’s or master’s degree, Ph.D.

CBS