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Social Development

  • Population Statistics for the Netherlands Antilles
  • Results Labour Force Survey Saint Maarten 2009
    In June 2009, the employed population in St. Maarten increased by more than 650 persons, compared to March 2007. This is an increase of just over 3 percent. This increase can solely be attributed to the increase in the number of employed women. The male employed population decreased slightly. Also the increase concerned only persons born in Sint Maarten. The number of unemployed persons increased with 21 percent. Because of this increase the unemployment rate went up from 10.6 percent in March 2007 to 12.2 percent in June 2009.

    As a consequence of the increase in both the number of employed and in the number of unemployed, the number of persons in the labor force went up with 5 percent and the labor force now has a total of 24344 persons. The participation rate remained practically unchanged compared to 2007. The youth unemployment rate increased to 29.4 percent of the youth labor force, mainly due to a large increase in the number of unemployed youth.


  • Crime, Violence, and Development: Trends, Costs, and Policy Options in the Caribbean.
    March 2007
    The drug trade is a prime driver of crime across the Caribbean. In the Netherlands Antilles, authorities estimate that 75 percent of crime is drug-related. Some 60 percent of all the cocaine seized in the Caribbean in 2004 was seized in the Netherlands Antilles, and cocaine seizures there increased dramatically between 2001 and 2004. Confronted with large numbers of people attempting to smuggle drugs by commercial flights, authorities implemented a “100% Control” policy of screening large numbers of passengers for drugs. Drugs were confiscated from the couriers, but in most cases the couriers themselves were not arrested. The program has been very successful in reducing cocaine smuggling via air courier, and could be tested in other contexts, including other Caribbean countries suffering from drug transshipment. The Antillean example also highlights the need for cooperation between Caribbean transshipment countries and destination countries in maritime interdiction.
    Source: UNODC & The World Bank