Bonaire
Population
Early 2020 Bonaire had 20.9 thousand residents, 5.4 thousand more than early 2010. Between 2011 and 2013 the number of residents increased by an average of approximately 900 per year. In 2019 the population increased by 811. In 2019 net migration was high: 717 moved to Bonaire finally.
Three times as many Haitians since 2011
Bonaire residents born in Bonaire, Aruba, Curaçao, St Maarten, Saba or St Eustatius (the former Netherlands Antilles) or in the European Netherlands, almost without exception, have Dutch citizenship. Of those born in Europe, nearly one quarter had Dutch citizenship on January 1st, 2020. This proportion declined by eight percentage points relative to 2011. One third of those born in Central and South America had Dutch citizenship. This proportion declined by six percentage points relative to 2011.
The number of Haitians tripled between 2011 and 2020. Since newcomers from Haiti considerably less often adopted Dutch citizenship, the proportion of people with Dutch citizenship among born Haitians more than halved. The proportion of people born in the United States and Canada with Dutch citizenship is 12 percent and increased slightly relative to 2011.
| werelddel | 2011 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Europe (excl. Netherlands) | 31 | 23 |
| European Netherlands | 100 | 100 |
| Central and South America (excl. Caribbean Netherlands) |
39 | 33 |
| United States, Canada | 10 | 12 |
| Caribbean Netherlands | 99 | 98 |
| Aruba, Curaçao, St Maarten | 99 | 99 |
Less single-person households
Early 2020 41 percent of the people in Bonaire lived in a single-person household. This is a decline by three percentage points relative to 2012. The proportion of couples without children increased from 17 percent (2012) to 22 percent (2020). The proportion of couples with children and the proportion of single-parent households was 23 percent and 13 percent respectively and remained more or less unchanged relative to 2012.
| 2020 | 2012 | |
|---|---|---|
| Single-person household | 40,66659568 | 44,10163339 |
| Couple without children | 21,31828346 | 16,68295407 |
| Couple with children | 22,95815142 | 22,67206478 |
| Single-parent household | 13,31061655 | 13,89082787 |
Labour
In 2018 the size of the working age population (15 to 74 years) on Bonaire was 15.4 thousand, with 73.1 percent in employment, 4.6 percentage points more than in 2012. The labour force participation rate in 2018 was in higher than at the beginning of the decade. Of the men,74.9 percent were employed in 2018 (70.2 percent in 2012) versus 71.1 percent of the women (2018, 66.6 percent in 2012). Participation is relatively low among young people and the lower educated. Nevertheless, the net labour participation of all groups has increased between 2012 and 2018 except that of the higher educated (6 percent decrease).
Bonaire’s unemployment rate in 2018 was just over 3 percent, versus almost 6 percent in 2012. This is equivalent to almost 370 unemployed persons in 2018 who were actively looking and available for work. In 2012 there were 550 persons unemployed.
In 2018 almost 3.8 thousand Bonaire residents did not form part of the local labour force. In 2012 this was 3.5 thousand. They were not looking, nor were they available for work, in most cases, a combination of both. The group available but not looking for work decreased in 2018 compared to 2012: from 18 to 11 percent.
A large group (35 percent in 2018, 30 percent in 2012) were people who were unwilling or unable to work due to old age or retirement. For 22 percent of those not in the labour force in 2018 (20 percent in 2012) – young residents in particular – education was the predominant reason why they were unwilling or unavailable for work. Other smaller groups include people who were unable to work due to a disability (11 percent) or because they had to take care of family (6 percent).
| 2012 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 68.5 | 73.1 |
| Male | 70.2 | 74.9 |
| Female | 66.6 | 71.1 |
| 15 to 24 years | 45.5 | 46.0 |
| 25 to 44 years | 83.9 | 88.8 |
| 45 to 74 years | 63.7 | 69.3 |
| Education level | . | . |
| Low education level | 62.8 | 68.0 |
| Intermediate education level | 73.4 | 79.4 |
| High education level | 82.9 | 76.8 |
| reason | 2012 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Not available or not looking | . | . |
| Available but not looking for work | 18.4 | 11.5 |
| Looking but not available for work | 1.2 | 2.6 |
| Not available and not looking | . | . |
| Wants to work | 3.7 | 4.1 |
| Doesn't want to or can't work due to | . | . |
| Care | 5.9 | 6.3 |
| Education | 20.2 | 22.1 |
| Retirement or old age | 29.7 | 35.4 |
| Illness, disability, poor health | 9.8 | 10.8 |
| Other reason | 11.1 | 7.2 |
Wages and jobs of employees
Wages vary widely depending on characteristics and type of work. In 2018, women’s wages were 8 percent lower than men’s. This gap is narrowing. In 2011, the difference was 18 percent.
| yeay | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 23220 | 19120 |
| 2012 | 23910 | 20730 |
| 2013 | 24220 | 21250 |
| 2014 | 25040 | 22240 |
| 2015 | 24590 | 22370 |
| 2016 | 24490 | 22330 |
| 2017 | 24870 | 23330 |
| 2018* | 25550 | 23440 |
| *provisional figures | ||
The average annual wage of employees on Bonaire was 24.6 thousand US dollars in 2018 and 20.9 thousand in 2011. This is an increase of 18 percent. The part of groups earning less than 20 thousand US dollars decreased from 60 to 50 percent.
| year | less than 5,000 dollar | 5,000 to 10,000 dollar | 10,000 to 20,000 dollar | 20,000 to 30,000 dollar | 30,000 to 40,000 dollar | 40,000 to 50,000 dollar | 50,000 to 100,000 dollar | 100,000 to 500,000 dollar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 12 | 13 | 36 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 2018* | 9 | 8 | 32 | 22 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
| *provisional data | ||||||||
Macroeconomics
The gross domestic product (GDP) of Bonaire increased from 372 million US dollars in 2012 to 428 million US dollars in 2017. That is an average increase of 2.8 percent per year during this period.
| year | GDP |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 372 |
| 2013 | 387 |
| 2014 | 403 |
| 2015 | 415 |
| 2016 | 434 |
| 2017 | 428 |
In volume terms GDP increased by 1.7 percent on average per year. GDP volume growth is calculated by adjusting the value growth for inflation on the basis of the consumer price index. The negative GDP growth in 2017 was caused primarily by a substantial reduction of production of the transport, storage and communication sector.
High population growth and an increase in government spending are important factors explaining GDP growth in the years prior to 2017.
| year | percentage change |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 2.4 |
| 2014 | 1.6 |
| 2015 | 3.4 |
| 2016 | 2.2 |
| 2017 | -1.3 |
GDP per capita increased slightly from 21.9 thousand US dollars in 2012 to 22.1 thousand US dollars in 2017. When corrected for inflation, GDP per capita decreased by 4.4 percent in 2017 compared to 2012.
| year | (2012=100) |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 100 |
| 2013 | 97.1 |
| 2014 | 94.7 |
| 2015 | 95.4 |
| 2016 | 96.8 |
| 2017 | 95.6 |
Energy
| years | Fossil | Renewable |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 73.9 | 1.5 |
| 2010 | 77.3 | 4.9 |
| 2011 | 58.8 | 26.3 |
| 2012 | 58.6 | 32.5 |
| 2013 | 56.9 | 36.7 |
| 2014 | 56.1 | 41.2 |
| 2015 | 63.3 | 40.1 |
| 2016 | 73.4 | 35.1 |
| 2017 | 81.9 | 31.5 |
| 2018* | 76.0 | 37.1 |
| 2019* | 88.1 | 32.5 |
| *provisional figures | ||
In 2009 Bonaire produced 75.4 mln kWh of electricity and in 2019 this was 120.6 mln kWh, an increase of 60 percent. Of the total electricity production of 120.6 mln kWh in 2019, 32.5 mln kWh (27 percent) was renewable energy.
Most of this (99 percent) was produced by wind turbines. Solar panels produced the remaining one percent. Over the past ten years the proportion of renewable energy was highest in 2014: 42.3 percent. Since then that proportion has stabilised around 30 percent.
Income
In 2018, the median disposable income of households on Bonaire was 24.3 thousand US dollars, the same as in 2013. Since then, the income grew to a peak value of 26.4 thousand US dollars in 2016, after which it decreased again. The income in 2018 was 2 thousand US dollars less than in 2016. For households with income primarily from work the same pattern applies. In 2018 they had 27.5 thousand US dollars to spend, nearly 8 percent less than in 2016. The income for social benefit receivers was 7.7 thousand US dollars in 2018 and showed a gradual decline since 2011.
| year | All households | Main income from work | Main income from social benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 23.8 | 26.3 | 8.0 |
| 2012 | 23.4 | 25.7 | 7.8 |
| 2013 | 23.5 | 26.4 | 7.8 |
| 2014 | 23.7 | 26.6 | 7.5 |
| 2015 | 24.6 | 27.7 | 7.7 |
| 2016 | 25.6 | 28.8 | 7.7 |
| 2017* | 25.1 | 28.3 | 7.7 |
| 2018* | 23.5 | 26.6 | 7.5 |
| *provisional figures | |||
Purchasing power
For Bonaire residents the purchasing power development in 2018 was negative for the first time since 2012. In median, the decline with regards to 2017 was 1.1 percent. Between 2012 and 2017, when the buying power improved, the largest increase was in 2015 (4.6 percent). In the same period the purchasing power for employed people increased slightly more on an annual basis than the population as a whole. In 2018 they faced a minor 0.5 percent decrease in purchasing power. Households with primary income from social benefits were most negatively affected with a 2.8 percent buying power decline in 2018. Likewise in 2016, they lost some of their purchasing power.
| All households | Main income from work | Main income from social benefits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 2.9 |
| 2013 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| 2014 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.3 |
| 2015 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 2.5 |
| 2016 | 3.0 | 3.4 | -0.5 |
| 2017* | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.1 |
| 2018* | -1.1 | -0.5 | -2.8 |
| *provisional figures | |||
Since 2012 households with children experienced positive changes in buying power. The peak in 2015 – merely due to deflation – was followed by years of decreasing purchasing power growth. In 2018 the median increase in purchasing power was for both couples with children and one-parent households lowest so far, namely 1 percent. Annually, for households without children the purchasing power changes were less prosperous. Both couples without children and other multi-person households lost purchasing power in 2017 and 2018.
| Single-person households | One-parent households | Couples, without child(ren) | Couples, with child(ren) | Multi-persons households n.e.c. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2,9 | 5,6 | 2 | 4,7 | 3,2 |
| 2013 | 0,7 | 4,4 | 0,6 | 2,8 | 0,8 |
| 2014 | 0,7 | 5,5 | 0,4 | 4,3 | 0,7 |
| 2015 | 2,5 | 7,6 | 2,5 | 5,9 | 5,3 |
| 2016 | 0,8 | 6,3 | 0,1 | 4,2 | 3,1 |
| 2017* | 0,1 | 2,3 | -0,1 | 3,2 | -0,3 |
| 2018* | -2,8 | 1 | -2,8 | 1,1 | -1,3 |
| * provisional figures | |||||
Income inequality
On Bonaire the income inequality is the most stable among the islands of the Caribbean Netherlands. Its Gini coefficient had a value of 0.40 in 2018. The disparities in standardized disposable income have remained unchanged on Bonaire since 2011. Expressed in terms of the Gini coefficient 0 means total equality: everyone has the same income, and 1 means total inequality: one person has all the income, the rest has none.
| Gini coefficient | |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 0.39 |
| 2012 | 0.39 |
| 2013 | 0.39 |
| 2014 | 0.40 |
| 2015 | 0.40 |
| 2016 | 0.39 |
| 2017* | 0.40 |
| 2018* | 0.40 |
| *provisional figures | |
Nature
In comparison to economic and social developments, ecological processes can only become apparent and be understood in the context of long timespans.
Flamingo
The annual average number of flamingos is an indicator for the health of salt lakes and wetlands. Bonaire has a relatively small, but regionally important, population of these migratory birds. Since the early 1980’s the population has been stable.
| Year | Bonaire Total |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 2520 |
| 2011 | 3026 |
| 2012 | 1946 |
| 2013 | 2083 |
| 2014 | 2429 |
| 2015 | 3081 |
| 2016 | 2646 |
| 2017 | 4702 |
| 2018 | 3381 |
| 2019 | 2560 |
Coral cover
Coral reefs are of great value to Bonaire. These attract dive and snorkel tourists, protect against storms and support local fisheries. Since the early 1970’s the seabed cover by living coral has decreased. Even on the healthiest locations living coral cover went down from around 70 percent to below 30 percent.
| Year | Coral cover |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 28 |
| 2011 | 24 |
| 2012 | 18 |
| 2013 | 30 |
| 2014 | 20 |
| 2015 | 24 |
| 2016 | 24 |
| 2017 | 27 |
| 2018¹⁾ | . |
| 2019 | 29 |
| 1)missing data | |
Seagrass
Seagrass beds capture CO2, trap sediments and protect beaches. They are a nursery ground for numerous fish species, foraging grounds for turtles and conch, and are capable of filtering human pathogens from the water. In recent years, invasive seagrasses have taken over living space from endemic seagrasses. Current sargassum influxes are a threat to the seagrass beds and already some area has been lost resulting in beach erosion in some areas.
| year | Shoal grass | Invasive grass | Manatee grass | Turtlegrass | Bare sand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 52.9 | 37.1 |
| 2013 | 0.6 | 14.2 | 3.0 | 40.4 | 41.7 |
| 2015 | 0.0 | 21.3 | 4.2 | 37.8 | 36.7 |
| 2017 | 1.4 | 24.9 | 3.3 | 33.6 | 36.9 |
| 2019 | 0.4 | 28.8 | 3.1 | 25.2 | 42.5 |
| Year | number of nests |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 50 |
| 2011 | 59 |
| 2012 | 101 |
| 2013 | 121 |
| 2014 | 83 |
| 2015 | 77 |
| 2016 | 99 |
| 2017 | 128 |
| 2018 | 105 |
| 2019 | 88 |
Education
Education on Bonaire is similar to the European part of the Netherlands and Dutch and Papiamentu are the languages of instruction. Bonaire has eight government-funded schools, seven primary schools and a secondary school that offers both general and vocational education.
There is no government-funded higher education. Between 2013 and 2017, 306 young adults born in the former Netherlands Antilles or Aruba traded Bonaire for the European Netherlands. Two-thirds did so for educational purposes.
The enrolment of pupils in primary education increased from 1 597 in 2010/’11 to 1 946 in 2019/’20. This is in line with the increase of the population of the relevant ages. The average number of pupils per school in 2019/’20 was 278.
| year | Population on January 1st: 5 to 14 years | Enrolment in primary education on 1 October |
|---|---|---|
| 2010/'11 | 1988 | 1597 |
| 2011/'12 | 2070 | 1640 |
| 2012/'13 | 2094 | 1627 |
| 2013/'14 | 2206 | 1679 |
| 2014/'15 | 2288 | 1727 |
| 2015/'16 | 2294 | 1778 |
| 2016/'17 | 2304 | 1843 |
| 2017/'18 | 2288 | 1893 |
| 2018/'19** | 2347 | 1899 |
| 2019/'20* | 2476 | 1946 |
| **revised provisional figures | ||
| *provisional figures | ||
The enrolment of students in secondary education increased from 1 294 in 2010/’11 to 1 730 in 2019/’20. Most of these students followed general education. In 2019/’20 31 percent followed vocational education (MBO).
| year | Total secondary general education (VO) | Vocational programmes (MBO) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010/'11 | 1078 | 216 |
| 2011/'12 | 1039 | 340 |
| 2012/'13 | 1102 | 350 |
| 2013/'14 | 1145 | 505 |
| 2014/'15 | 1147 | 610 |
| 2015/'16 | 1124 | 624 |
| 2016/'17 | 1125 | 570 |
| 2017/'18 | 1108 | 520 |
| 2018/'19** | 1123 | 493 |
| 2019/'20* | 1188 | 542 |
| **revised provisional figures | ||
| *provisional figures | ||
On Bonaire students can choose from all four levels of MBO, like the European part of the Netherlands. Together with the Council of Education and Labour Market Caribbean Netherlands (ROA CN), the school determines which courses should be offered in order to meet future demand on the labour market.
| year | Economics | Technology | Health and welfare | Combination of sectors 1) | Total sectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010/'11 | 123 | 36 | 57 | 0 | . |
| 2011/'12 | 152 | 74 | 70 | 44 | . |
| 2012/'13 | . | . | . | . | 350 |
| 2013/'14 | 203 | 106 | 135 | 61 | . |
| 2014/'15 | 225 | 157 | 172 | 56 | . |
| 2015/'16 | 240 | 176 | 156 | 52 | . |
| 2016/'17 | 176 | 159 | 135 | 100 | . |
| 2017/'18 | 153 | 137 | 126 | 104 | . |
| 2018/'19 | 162 | 92 | 146 | 93 | . |
| 2019/'20* | 163 | 102 | 150 | 127 | . |
| *provisional data | |||||
| 1)The courses in ‘Combination of sectors’ are all on the level of entrance training. | |||||
| year | Entrance training | MBO 2 | MBO 3 | MBO 4 | Total MBO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010/'11 | . | 74 | 118 | 24 | . |
| 2011/'12 | 74 | 87 | 159 | 20 | . |
| 2012/'13 | . | . | . | . | 350 |
| 2013/'14 | 79 | 112 | 234 | 80 | . |
| 2014/'15 | 91 | 135 | 209 | 175 | . |
| 2015/'16 | 81 | 153 | 148 | 242 | . |
| 2016/'17 | 100 | 137 | 242 | 91 | . |
| 2017/'18 | 104 | 135 | 183 | 98 | . |
| 2018/'19 | 93 | 142 | 174 | 84 | . |
| 2019/'20* | 127 | 142 | 199 | 74 | . |
| *provisional figures | |||||
Consumer prices
Between 2010 and 2019 prices on Bonaire increased by 17.4 percent. The average increase was 1.8 percent per year. In the first half of 2020 prices have decreased mainly due to allowances for electricity, drinking water and internet provided by the government to support the population during the corona crisis.
During 2011 and 2012 prices rose sharply on Bonaire, on average with 4.1 percent per year. In 2013 and 2014 prices rose more gradually at a rate of 1.6 percent per year. From 2014 onwards the overall price levels remained relatively stable until 2017, after which the general price level increased. In 2018 prices rose by 3.4 percent.
| year | Year-on-year change CPI |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 5.3 |
| 2012 | 2.9 |
| 2013 | 1.7 |
| 2014 | 1.5 |
| 2015 | -0.9 |
| 2016 | 0.5 |
| 2017 | 0.6 |
| 2018 | 3.4 |
| 2019 | 1.3 |
On Bonaire prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages as well as transport increased between 2010 and 2012 with roughly 6 percent. Prices for food and beverages remained stable from 2013 until 2017 after which they started to increase. In 2015 prices for transport dropped by almost 9 percent mainly due to drop in petrol prices. Prices for air travel increased from 2016 onwards.
Prices for housing, water and energy increased by 18.6 percent between 2010 and 2019. Prices rose between 2010 and 2013 and then slowly dropped until 2017 after which they increased again. The main causes here are the price developments of electricity and water.
| year | Food and non-alcoholic beverages | Housing, water and energy | Transport |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 88.8 | 92.9 | 94.5 |
| 2011 | 95.6 | 93.3 | 100.9 |
| 2012 | 99.9 | 97.3 | 105.2 |
| 2013 | 98.8 | 106.0 | 106.8 |
| 2014 | 101.0 | 104.7 | 106.9 |
| 2015 | 100.7 | 101.9 | 97.7 |
| 2016 | 100.4 | 101.3 | 96.4 |
| 2017 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| 2018 | 102.0 | 107.7 | 104.3 |
| 2019 | 104.8 | 110.3 | 107.4 |
Tourism
In 2019, the number of visitors arriving in Bonaire by air was nearly 160 thousand. This is a growth of 21 percent relative to 2013. The largest growth in the period 2013–2019 occurred in the last two years when the number of flight movements to Bonaire increased as well. The period 2013–2016 saw only minor growth, followed by a small dip in 2017 due to problems with a local airline company, among others.
Most visitors originated from the European Netherlands, the United States, Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten. The market of the European Netherlands became more important since 2013, while the market of Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten, on the contrary, became less important.
| Jaar | Totaal |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 131.0 |
| 2014 | 128.9 |
| 2015 | 133.4 |
| 2016 | 135.8 |
| 2017 | 128.5 |
| 2018 | 147.8 |
| 2019* | 157.8 |
| * preliminary data | |
| Nationaliteit | 2013 | 2016 | 2019* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch (Europa) | 29 | 32 | 39 |
| American | 21 | 21 | 22 |
| Dutch (Aruba, Curaçao en St. Maarten) | 30 | 26 | 20 |
| Other European citizenships | 7 | 10 | 10 |
| South American | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| Canadian | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Other citizenships | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| * preliminary data | |||
Tourism in Bonaire is not only driven by visitor arrivals by air. Cruise tourism is also important. Cruises accounted for 458 thousand passengers in 2019. This is a growth of 322 percent relative to 2013. Due to the island’s extra efforts to attract more cruises to Bonaire, the number of passengers particularly increased from 2017 onwards. It has not been measured what proportion of the cruise passengers has actually disembarked.
| Maand | 2013 | 2016 | 2019* |
|---|---|---|---|
| jan | 36,0 | 31,3 | 73,9 |
| feb | 22,5 | 23,4 | 39,9 |
| mar | 19,5 | 25,4 | 48,3 |
| apr | 14,0 | 8,6 | 41,1 |
| may | 0,4 | 3,9 | 21,7 |
| jun | 0,4 | 7,3 | 19,1 |
| jul | 0,5 | 4,1 | 19,9 |
| aug | 0,2 | 3,6 | 23,8 |
| sep | 0,2 | 9,8 | 21,5 |
| oct | 0,2 | 6,7 | 29,1 |
| nov | 13,5 | 47,8 | 51,6 |
| dec | 34,7 | 44,6 | 67,8 |
| * preliminary data | |||