n Antigua and Barbuda, one in three residents was born abroad. In St. Lucia, it’s one in twenty. Across CARICOM, migration shapes each nation differently.
Data from the IOM’s latest migration report, drawing on UNDESA mid-year 2024 estimates, shows migrant populations ranging from 33% of the population in Antigua and Barbuda to just 5% in St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Montserrat (32%) and a cluster of three at 17% – Belize, The Bahamas, and St. Kitts and Nevis – round out the upper tier. Barbados and Dominica each sit at 13%, while Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago both record 8%.
At the lower end, Guyana (7%), Grenada and Jamaica (6% each), and St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (5% each) host proportionally smaller migrant communities.
The variation reflects geography, economic opportunity, and historical ties. For some nations, migration is central to the social fabric. For others, it plays a quieter role.
As the year closes, the data offers a reminder: the Caribbean has always been shaped by movement.
Source: IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, Migration Trends in the English and Dutch Speaking Caribbean, 2024 (using UNDESA mid-year 2024 data)
