Country profile · Latin America & Caribbean

🇨🇼 Curacao

High income. Capital Willemstad. Full World Bank, WHO, ILO & OECD indicator profile across 24 measures, with regional peers and rankings.

156K
Population
$3.6 billion
GDP
$22,833
GDP / capita
77.0 years
Life expectancy
Latin America & Caribbean High income Capital: Willemstad

The verdict

Curacao ranks 178th of 217 by total GDP and 85th for life expectancy - a high income economy in Latin America & Caribbean.

#178
World GDP rank (of 217)
$22,833
GDP per capita
#85
Life-expectancy rank
#186
Population rank

Ranks are computed across the 217 countries with data for each indicator; see the full tables and sources below.

Curacao on the global income map

Curacao (CUW) plotted alongside its largest economic peers on GDP per capita and the Human Development Index. Bubble area scales with population; color encodes income tier; gold rings mark OECD members.

Curacao on the global income map Curacao positioned on the GDP-per-capita / HDI plane against its largest economic peers. 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 $200 $1K $10K $100K GDP per capita (USD, log scale) Human Development Index (0–1) India - GDP/cap $2,695 · lower-middle income IND China - GDP/cap $13,303 · upper-middle income CHN United States - GDP/cap $84,534 · high income · OECD USA Indonesia - GDP/cap $4,925 · upper-middle income IDN Pakistan - GDP/cap $1,479 · lower-middle income Nigeria - GDP/cap $1,084 · low income Brazil - GDP/cap $10,311 · upper-middle income Bangladesh - GDP/cap $2,593 · lower-middle income Russian Federation - GDP/cap $14,889 · high income Ethiopia - GDP/cap $1,134 · low income Mexico - GDP/cap $14,186 · high income · OECD Japan - GDP/cap $32,487 · high income · OECD Egypt, Arab Rep. - GDP/cap $3,338 · lower-middle income Philippines - GDP/cap $3,985 · lower-middle income Congo, Dem. Rep. - GDP/cap $693 · low income Viet Nam - GDP/cap $4,717 · upper-middle income Iran, Islamic Rep. - GDP/cap $5,190 · upper-middle income Turkiye - GDP/cap $15,893 · high income · OECD Germany - GDP/cap $56,104 · high income · OECD Thailand - GDP/cap $7,387 · upper-middle income United Kingdom - GDP/cap $53,246 · high income · OECD Tanzania - GDP/cap $1,193 · lower-middle income France - GDP/cap $46,103 · high income · OECD South Africa - GDP/cap $6,267 · upper-middle income Italy - GDP/cap $40,385 · high income · OECD Kenya - GDP/cap $2,133 · lower-middle income Myanmar - GDP/cap $1,359 · lower-middle income Colombia - GDP/cap $7,951 · upper-middle income · OECD Korea, Rep. - GDP/cap $36,239 · high income · OECD Sudan - GDP/cap $985 · low income Curacao - GDP/cap $22,833 · high income Income tier Low Lower-middle Upper-middle High OECD member

Indicators tracked

24

Across 8 topic areas

GDP per capita

$22,833

Latest WB report

Population

156K

UN estimate

OECD member

No

Outside OECD harmonized stats

Population
156K
GDP
$3.6 billion
GDP per Capita
$22,833
Life Expectancy
77.0 years

Overview

Curacao has a population of 156K, making it the 186th-most populous country out of 217 tracked in Latin America & Caribbean.

Its economy totals $3.6 billion - ranked 178th globally by total GDP. GDP per capita stands at $22,833, placing it in the High income category.

Life expectancy at birth is 77.0 years (ranked 85th globally), reflecting overall health outcomes as measured by the World Bank.

The capital is Willemstad.

👥 Demographics

Population
156K
2024
Population Ages 0-14
14.9%
2024
Population Ages 65+
16.8%
2024
Population Density
348.3/km²
2023
Urban Population
91.4%
2024

💰 Economy

Foreign Direct Investment
$154.8 million
2024
GDP (Current USD)
$3.6 billion
2024
GDP Growth Rate
5.0%
2024
GDP Per Capita (Current USD)
$22,832.895
2024
Inflation (Consumer Prices)
2.6%
2019
Trade (% of GDP)
155.3%
2018

🏥 Health

Life Expectancy at Birth
77.0 years
2024

📚 Education

Education Expenditure (% of GDP)
5.4%
2024
School Enrollment (Primary)
79.3
2024
School Enrollment (Secondary)
89.9
2024
School Enrollment (Tertiary)
23.1
2013

🌍 Environment

Electric Power Consumption
5,276 kWh
2023
Forest Area
0.2
2023
Renewable Energy Consumption
2.8%
2021

🏗️ Infrastructure

Access to Electricity
100.0%
2023
Internet Users
68.1%
2017
Mobile Subscriptions
93.8
2023

⚖️ Social

Intentional Homicides
16.9
2007
Net Migration
513
2024

🫀 Disease Burden

Key causes of death and disease risk in Curacao. Source: WHO Global Health Observatory.

Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory. NCD mortality rate: latest available. Rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population. Premature NCD risk covers cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.

Compare Curacao with Another Country

What the data says about Curacao

Curacao sits in the high-income bracket but outside the OECD's harmonized reporting network, so its statistics come straight from the World Bank, WHO, and ILO source series rather than a jointly reconciled OECD dataset - still official, but with less cross-checking between agencies than an OECD member gets. Because output and income figures are converted at market exchange rates into current dollars, they can swing with currency movements independent of any real change in living standards, and for a small economy like this one that swing shows up more visibly in the headline numbers than it would for a larger country. The fuller picture comes from comparing Curacao against income-tier peers of a similar size.

Curacao sits in Latin America & Caribbean with a population of 156K, placing it 186th out of 217 countries by headcount. Its capital, Willemstad, anchors a High income economy with total GDP of $3.6 billion - ranked 178th globally, and GDP per capita of $22,833. This combination of demographic scale and economic output shapes everything from household purchasing power and domestic market depth to the country's weight in regional trade flows and international development programmes.

Life expectancy at birth in Curacao is 77.0 years, ranking 85th worldwide and offering a summary read on healthcare access, nutrition, sanitation, and long-run living standards. The World Bank's World Development Indicators, combined with the WHO Global Health Observatory and ILO ILOSTAT wage statistics, expose 24 data points across 7 thematic areas, from fertility and urbanisation to CO₂ emissions, school enrolment, and labour-force participation. Reading these indicators together, rather than in isolation, is what turns headline numbers into a grounded portrait of how people actually live.

Use the indicator tables below to track trajectories over time, jump to Curacao's placement on specific rankings such as GDP, population density, or life expectancy, and open the side-by-side Compare view to benchmark against peers inside Latin America & Caribbean or across income groups. Because all figures come from official, CC BY 4.0-licensed datasets with clear vintages, you can cite them directly in research or journalism. Where a field reads "N/A", the upstream agency has not yet released that value for Curacao - we never fabricate estimates or carry forward stale values, so missing points stay visible rather than quietly filled in.

Using the Curacao profile

A single rank only means something in context, read Curacao's numbers against its peers and over time.

  • Put Curacao side-by-side with another country to see exactly where the gaps are. Compare countries
  • See the full GDP table to find every country above and below Curacao's #178 position. GDP rankings
  • Browse Latin America & Caribbean to benchmark Curacao against its regional peers. Regional peers

Figures come from official World Bank, WHO, ILO and OECD releases; observation years differ by indicator (shown in the “Year” column) and unavailable values appear as “N/A” rather than estimates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the data for Curacao come from?

Data for Curacao is sourced from the World Bank Open Data catalog, WHO Global Health Observatory, and ILO ILOSTAT (for average wages and working hours). These are official, publicly available datasets.

How current is the data for Curacao?

It varies by indicator - most points are 2020-2024. See our methodology page for the update cadence per source.

Can I compare Curacao with other countries?

Yes - use the compare tool above, or the rankings catalog to see where Curacao stands on any single indicator.

What does GDP per capita tell us about Curacao?

Curacao's total output divided by its population, in current US dollars - an approximate read on average economic productivity per person. See our methodology page for the PPP-adjustment caveats.

How does Curacao's life expectancy compare to the global average?

77.0 years, ranking 85th of 217 countries tracked - against a global average near 73 years.

Does PlainCountries cover visa or travel information for Curacao?

No - PlainCountries is development and health data only. PlainVisa (plainvisa.com) covers immigration policy; PlainFlights (plainflights.com) covers flight routes.

Source: World Bank Open Data, Source: WHO Global Health Observatory, Source: ILO ILOSTAT. World Bank and ILO data licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, financial, or policy advice. Data is sourced from the World Bank, WHO, ILO, and OECD. See our full disclaimer and editorial policy.