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Saint Martin

Quick facts

filter_center_focus Capital Marigot
translate Language French - English - Dutch - Papiamento
wc Population 32556
filter_hdr Land Area 16
blur_on Density 730
person President: Emmanuel Macron
person President of the Territorial Council: Daniel Gibbs

Estimated population

Estimated population graph

Economic overview

The economy of Saint Martin centers on tourism with 85% of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million visitors come to the island each year with most arriving through the Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. The financial sector is also important to Saint Martin’s economy as it facilitates financial mediation for its thriving tourism sector. No significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the US. Saint Martin is reported to have one of the highest per capita income in the Caribbean. As with the rest of the Caribbean, Saint Martin’s financial sector is having to deal with losing correspondent banking relationships.

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma destroyed 95% of the French side of Saint Martin. Along the coastline of Marigot, the nerve center of the economy, the storm wiped out restaurants, shops, banks and open-air markets impacting more than 36,000 inhabitants.

 

(Source: The World Factbook 2020. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2020.)