Latin America & Caribbean · Upper middle income

Saint Lucia: the economy in numbers

Per person: $14,746, or $28,674 at purchasing power parity. Population: 180,149 (2025).

$2.66B−0.6%real GDP growth, 2025

GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #179 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +1.2%.

GDP per capita

$14,746

2025 · #83 of 204

GDP per capita, PPP

$28,674

2025 · #82 of 197

Inflation

2.0%

2025 · IMF forecast 2026: 2.9%

Government debt

76.8%

2025 · % of GDP, general government

Population

180K

2025 · #183 of 217

Unemployment

9.5%

2025 · ILO estimate

Life expectancy

72.8 years

2024

GDP

Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $666 million in 1980, $2.66 billion in 2025.

Current US dollars; “In 2025 dollars” removes US inflationSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

GDP per capita

In 2025 dollars: $5,584 per person in 1980, $14,746 in 2025.

GDP per capitaGDP per capita, PPP (international $)

PPP: purchasing power parity, international dollarsSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Real GDP growth

Average over 2016–2025: 1.9% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1978: 10 of 48.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Inflation

Consumer prices rose by 64.7% from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 34.2% in 1974.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Government debt, % of GDP

Highest since 1990: 93.9% of GDP in 2020. IMF forecast for 2031: 77.7%.

General government (IMF)Central government only (World Bank)

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Population

1960: 92,585 · 2025: 180,149.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Unemployment rate

1991: 16.5% · 2025: 9.5%.

% of the labor force, ILO modeled estimatesSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Life expectancy at birth

1960: 57.9 years · 2024: 72.8 years.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Data by year

Show the year-by-year table

Year	GDP	GDP per capita	Per capita, PPP	Real growth	Inflation	Gov. debt, % GDP	Population	Unemployment	Life expectancy
2031				1.5%^f	2.0%^f	77.7%^f
2030				1.5%^f	2.1%^f	78.1%^f
2029				1.6%^f	2.1%^f	78.3%^f
2028				1.6%^f	2.2%^f	78.4%^f
2027				1.8%^f	2.5%^f	78.2%^f
2026				1.2%^f	2.9%^f	78.1%^f
2025	$2.66B	$14,746	$28,674	−0.6%	2.0%	76.8%	180K	9.5%
2024	$2.61B	$14,494	$28,117	4.8%	−0.7%	75.9%	180K	10.2%	72.8
2023	$2.44B	$13,617	$26,254	3.9%	3.8%	74.0%	179K	12.1%	72.7
2022	$2.32B	$12,976	$24,434	19.3%	9.7%	73.9%	179K	15.9%	72.7
2021	$1.87B	$10,481	$19,141	11.1%	2.4%	82.0%	179K	20.5%	69.1
2020	$1.52B	$8,537	$15,136	−22.9%	−1.8%	93.9%	178K	25.2%	72.3
2019	$2.09B	$11,764	$18,663	−1.0%	0.5%	62.3%	178K	15.6%	72.2
2018	$2.06B	$11,643	$17,433	2.9%	1.9%	60.3%	177K	19.3%	72.7
2017	$2.0B	$11,333	$16,131	3.4%	0.1%	59.9%	176K	19.1%	72.5
2016	$1.87B	$10,638	$15,307	3.4%	−3.1%	60.2%	176K	19.9%	72.6
2015	$1.81B	$10,335	$14,353	0.1%	−1.0%	60.5%	175K	20.8%	72.9
2014	$1.75B	$10,045	$14,403	1.3%	3.5%	61.8%	174K	21.6%	72.7
2013	$1.66B	$9,577	$14,010	−1.8%	1.5%	61.2%	173K	22.2%	72.7
2012	$1.6B	$9,260	$13,443	−0.1%	4.2%	60.2%	173K	19.1%	72.9
2011	$1.57B	$9,129	$13,471	4.3%	2.8%	55.0%	172K	18.9%	73.0
2010	$1.48B	$8,674	$12,718	0.3%	3.3%	52.3%	171K	17.1%	72.8
2009	$1.4B	$8,251	$12,600	−2.8%	−0.2%	50.3%	170K	15.4%	72.9
2008	$1.44B	$8,517	$12,969	4.9%	5.5%	46.8%	169K	12.7%	73.0
2007	$1.34B	$7,964	$12,199	1.7%	2.8%	47.5%	168K	14.0%	72.9
2006	$1.27B	$7,611	$11,758	6.2%	2.4%	47.2%	167K	16.0%	72.8
2005	$1.14B	$6,863	$10,818	−0.4%	3.9%	50.4%	165K	18.7%	72.5
2004	$1.07B	$6,495	$10,610	7.3%	1.5%	48.8%	164K	21.0%	72.5
2003	$987M	$6,059	$9,707	4.3%	1.0%	44.7%	163K	22.2%	72.2
2002	$900M	$5,568	$9,205	0.4%	−0.3%	47.7%	162K	20.4%	71.7
2001	$893M	$5,570	$9,106	−3.4%	5.3%	38.0%	160K	18.5%	71.4
2000	$933M	$5,880	$9,314	0.0%	3.7%	32.8%	159K	16.5%	70.8
1999	$922M	$5,883	$9,214	2.7%	3.5%	28.8%	157K	18.1%	70.7
1998	$877M	$5,673	$8,965	6.3%	3.2%	29.1%	155K	21.6%	70.7
1997	$806M	$5,282	$8,456	−0.7%	−0.0%	26.6%	153K	20.5%	70.8
1996	$789M	$5,244	$8,490	2.9%	0.9%	23.9%	150K	16.3%	71.0
1995	$763M	$5,148	$8,222	1.7%	5.6%	22.7%	148K	15.8%	71.2
1994	$714M	$4,892	$8,041	1.6%	2.8%	23.4%	146K	17.0%	71.1
1993	$685M	$4,765	$7,865	0.6%	0.8%	22.7%	144K	16.8%	71.0
1992	$674M	$4,760	$7,753	8.0%	5.1%	22.1%	142K	16.5%	70.7
1991	$614M	$4,399	$7,127	0.4%	6.1%	19.3%	140K	16.5%	70.3
1990	$580M	$4,205	$6,951	9.9%	4.3%	16.7%	138K		70.0
1989	$487M	$3,565		9.0%	4.4%		137K		70.0
1988	$430M	$3,182		13.9%	0.8%		135K		69.7
1987	$376M	$2,819		3.9%	7.0%		133K		69.7
1986	$340M	$2,591		14.4%	2.2%		131K		70.2
1985	$284M	$2,202		8.3%	1.4%		129K		70.3
1984	$251M	$1,979		7.3%	1.2%		127K		70.5
1983	$197M	$1,576		5.0%	1.5%		125K		70.0
1982	$183M	$1,489		2.1%	4.6%		123K		69.0
1981	$194M	$1,605		6.3%	15.1%		121K		68.7
1980	$170M	$1,428		−2.2%	19.5%		119K		67.8
1979				3.8%	9.4%		118K		67.4
1978				10.3%	10.9%		116K		67.4
1977					8.9%		114K		67.0
1976					9.7%		112K		66.2
1975					17.7%		111K		65.9
1974					34.2%		109K		65.4
1973					13.4%		107K		64.6
1972					7.9%		106K		64.6
1971					8.4%		105K		64.5
1970					13.4%		103K		64.3
1969					2.3%		102K		64.0
1968					4.0%		101K		63.7
1967					3.2%		99.5K		63.2
1966					2.5%		98.5K		62.5
1965							97.5K		61.9
1964							96.5K		61.3
1963							95.5K		60.5
1962							94.5K		59.9
1961							93.5K		59.1
1960							92.6K		57.9

e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast.

Nearby economies in Latin America & Caribbean

Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$12,562 per person (2025)

Dominica

$10,989 per person (2025)

Barbados

$28,365 per person (2025)

Grenada

$12,107 per person (2025)

Antigua and Barbuda

$24,819 per person (2025)

Trinidad and Tobago

$18,967 per person (2025)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$25,223 per person (2025)

Sint Maarten

$42,978 per person (2025)

Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Bolivia · Brazil · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Chile · Colombia · Costa Rica · Cuba · Curaçao · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · Puerto Rico · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Martin (French part) · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Sint Maarten · Suriname · Trinidad and Tobago · Turks and Caicos Islands · U.S. Virgin Islands · Uruguay · Venezuela

Rankings

GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country

Data and methods

GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)