How have consumer prices changed since 2010?
Prices have been rising continuously in the Caribbean Netherlands since 2010. In 2011 and the first half of 2012, prices increased rapidly on all three islands, but the increase was most pronounced on St Eustatius. After that, prices increased at a lower rate until the COVID pandemic began in 2020.
The pandemic caused a clear dip in inflation: prices on Bonaire dropped by 6 percent, on St Eustatius by almost 4 percent and by 1 percent on Saba, due to subsidies for water and energy. After the pandemic, prices rose sharply again mainly due to increases in prices for food and energy. From mid-2023 onwards, the rate of increase slowed.
In 2024, prices on Bonaire were 36 percent higher than they were in 2010, on St Eustatius 39 percent higher, and on Saba 38 percent higher. On all three islands, inflation has followed the same general trajectory. As of 2025, inflation remains higher on Bonaire and Saba than on St Eustatius.
| Year | Quarter | Bonaire | St Eustatius | Saba |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Q1, 2011 | 4.2 | 7.0 | 4.7 |
| 2011 | Q2, 2011 | 5.0 | 10.5 | 6.9 |
| 2011 | Q3, 2011 | 5.8 | 11.2 | 6.6 |
| 2011 | Q4, 2011 | 6.3 | 10.8 | 7.4 |
| 2012 | Q1, 2012 | 3.6 | 6.6 | 5.7 |
| 2012 | Q2, 2012 | 3.0 | 5.2 | 3.9 |
| 2012 | Q3, 2012 | 2.3 | 4.6 | 3.1 |
| 2012 | Q4, 2012 | 2.7 | 4.9 | 2.4 |
| 2013 | Q1, 2013 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 1.2 |
| 2013 | Q2, 2013 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.0 |
| 2013 | Q3, 2013 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| 2013 | Q4, 2013 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 1.2 |
| 2014 | Q1, 2014 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| 2014 | Q2, 2014 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 2.0 |
| 2014 | Q3, 2014 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
| 2014 | Q4, 2014 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| 2015 | Q1, 2015 | -0.6 | -1.1 | 1.5 |
| 2015 | Q2, 2015 | -1.0 | -1.7 | 0.9 |
| 2015 | Q3, 2015 | -0.9 | -0.5 | -0.4 |
| 2015 | Q4, 2015 | -1.2 | -0.7 | -0.1 |
| 2016 | Q1, 2016 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 2016 | Q2, 2016 | 0.4 | -0.1 | 0.0 |
| 2016 | Q3, 2016 | 0.6 | -0.9 | 0.2 |
| 2016 | Q4, 2016 | 0.5 | 0.3 | -0.3 |
| 2017 | Q1, 2017 | 0.1 | 1.1 | -1.0 |
| 2017 | Q2, 2017 | 0.4 | 2.6 | -1.0 |
| 2017 | Q3, 2017 | 0.7 | 2.2 | -1.3 |
| 2017 | Q4, 2017 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 2.4 |
| 2018 | Q1, 2018 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 2.9 |
| 2018 | Q2, 2018 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 3.2 |
| 2018 | Q3, 2018 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 4.4 |
| 2018 | Q4, 2018 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| 2019 | Q1, 2019 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| 2019 | Q2, 2019 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| 2019 | Q3, 2019 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| 2019 | Q4, 2019 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| 2020 | Q1, 2020 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| 2020 | Q2, 2020 | -1.0 | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| 2020 | Q3, 2020 | -4.8 | -3.3 | -1.6 |
| 2020 | Q4, 2020 | -5.2 | -3.2 | -0.8 |
| 2021 | Q1, 2021 | -3.2 | -4.1 | -1.3 |
| 2021 | Q2, 2021 | 0.3 | -1.2 | 1.0 |
| 2021 | Q3, 2021 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 3.2 |
| 2021 | Q4, 2021 | 5.7 | 2.7 | 4.0 |
| 2022 | Q1, 2022 | 9.2 | 4.9 | 6.7 |
| 2022 | Q2, 2022 | 9.4 | 7.7 | 8.2 |
| 2022 | Q3, 2022 | 12.2 | 9.0 | 9.7 |
| 2022 | Q4, 2022 | 8.1 | 9.1 | 9.7 |
| 2023 | Q1, 2023 | 4.5 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
| 2023 | Q2, 2023 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 5.2 |
| 2023 | Q3, 2023 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| 2023 | Q4, 2023 | 4.1 | -1.0 | 1.2 |
| 2024 | Q1, 2024 | 3.4 | -0.4 | 1.9 |
| 2024 | Q2, 2024 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| 2024 | Q3, 2024 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 1.9 |
| 2024 | Q4, 2024 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 3.3 |
| 2025 | Q1, 2025 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 4.8 |
| 2025 | Q2, 2025 | 5.3 | 1.1 | 4.2 |
Food and non-alcoholic beverages
Prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages on Bonaire were 51 percent higher on Bonaire in 2024 than in 2010. On St Eustatius, prices were 54 percent higher and on Saba they were 59 percent higher.
After a sharp increase in prices between the beginning of 2011 to mid-2012, food prices rose more gradually – an average of 1 percent annually until Q4 2020 in the case of Bonaire and Saba. During 2017 and 2018 prices for food increased more on St Eustatius than they did on Bonaire and Saba.
Between Q3 2021 and Q3 2023, food prices increased more rapidly on the three islands. In Q1 2023 the annual, year-on-year, increase in food prices was around 10 percent on all three islands. Since then, food prices have continued to increase, but less rapidly.
| Year | Quarter | Bonaire | St Eustatius | Saba |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Q1, 2011 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 2.1 |
| 2011 | Q2, 2011 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 6.9 |
| 2011 | Q3, 2011 | 9.7 | 6.9 | 10.4 |
| 2011 | Q4, 2011 | 10.7 | 8.5 | 16.8 |
| 2012 | Q1, 2012 | 8.9 | 4.9 | 14.5 |
| 2012 | Q2, 2012 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 9.5 |
| 2012 | Q3, 2012 | 3.0 | 6.4 | 5.6 |
| 2012 | Q4, 2012 | 0.4 | 4.9 | 1.3 |
| 2013 | Q1, 2013 | -0.8 | 2.7 | 0.3 |
| 2013 | Q2, 2013 | -1.7 | 1.7 | 0.6 |
| 2013 | Q3, 2013 | -1.6 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| 2013 | Q4, 2013 | -0.3 | -0.2 | 1.8 |
| 2014 | Q1, 2014 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| 2014 | Q2, 2014 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 2.9 |
| 2014 | Q3, 2014 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 4.4 |
| 2014 | Q4, 2014 | 2.8 | 4.7 | 2.8 |
| 2015 | Q1, 2015 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 2.7 |
| 2015 | Q2, 2015 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 1.9 |
| 2015 | Q3, 2015 | -2.0 | 2.5 | 0.9 |
| 2015 | Q4, 2015 | -2.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| 2016 | Q1, 2016 | -2.2 | -1.0 | 1.6 |
| 2016 | Q2, 2016 | -0.6 | -1.9 | 2.4 |
| 2016 | Q3, 2016 | 0.5 | -1.8 | -1.5 |
| 2016 | Q4, 2016 | 0.9 | -1.0 | -0.2 |
| 2017 | Q1, 2017 | -0.8 | 0.6 | -4.2 |
| 2017 | Q2, 2017 | -0.7 | 3.4 | -4.7 |
| 2017 | Q3, 2017 | 0.4 | 7.4 | -2.6 |
| 2017 | Q4, 2017 | -0.3 | 6.5 | 1.6 |
| 2018 | Q1, 2018 | 3.5 | 7.0 | 2.0 |
| 2018 | Q2, 2018 | 2.5 | 6.1 | 1.8 |
| 2018 | Q3, 2018 | 0.7 | -0.3 | 2.9 |
| 2018 | Q4, 2018 | 1.2 | -0.5 | -2.0 |
| 2019 | Q1, 2019 | -0.3 | -1.0 | 1.9 |
| 2019 | Q2, 2019 | 2.6 | -2.4 | 2.2 |
| 2019 | Q3, 2019 | 4.2 | -0.8 | 2.0 |
| 2019 | Q4, 2019 | 4.6 | 0.4 | 1.3 |
| 2020 | Q1, 2020 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| 2020 | Q2, 2020 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.7 |
| 2020 | Q3, 2020 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 1.7 |
| 2020 | Q4, 2020 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| 2021 | Q1, 2021 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 |
| 2021 | Q2, 2021 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| 2021 | Q3, 2021 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| 2021 | Q4, 2021 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| 2022 | Q1, 2022 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| 2022 | Q2, 2022 | 5.7 | 7.4 | 7.2 |
| 2022 | Q3, 2022 | 8.8 | 7.6 | 7.9 |
| 2022 | Q4, 2022 | 9.8 | 8.9 | 10.6 |
| 2023 | Q1, 2023 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 10.9 |
| 2023 | Q2, 2023 | 9.9 | 7.9 | 9.0 |
| 2023 | Q3, 2023 | 7.4 | 6.7 | 7.7 |
| 2023 | Q4, 2023 | 7.0 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| 2024 | Q1, 2024 | 5.6 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
| 2024 | Q2, 2024 | 5.5 | 3.1 | 4.0 |
| 2024 | Q3, 2024 | 5.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| 2024 | Q4, 2024 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 6.1 |
| 2025 | Q1, 2025 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 5.4 |
| 2025 | Q2, 2025 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 4.8 |
Sources
Methodological note – Consumer price index Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba | CBS