World Bank places St. Maarten & Saint Martin in highest income group

GREAT BAY--Both St. Maarten and Saint Martin have been classified as high-income economies by the World Bank for its 2027 fiscal year, placing both sides of the island in the institution’s highest income category. The classification applies from July 2026 through June 2027 and is based on gross national income per person during 2025. For the current cycle, the World Bank considers an economy high-income when its gross national income per capita exceeds US$14,375.

However, the classification should not be interpreted as proof that every resident is financially secure or that wealth is evenly distributed. A high-income designation does not measure the cost of living, household debt, unemployment, housing affordability, access to healthcare or the number of people living below a local poverty line. It also does not show how much of the economy’s income is concentrated among businesses or higher earners.

St. Maarten, listed by the World Bank as “Sint Maarten (Dutch part),” and Saint Martin, listed as “St. Martin (French part),” both appear among 87 economies in the high-income group. Other Caribbean economies in the category include Aruba, Curaçao, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago and the Cayman Islands.

The designation means that the average national income per person is above the World Bank’s high-income threshold. It is mainly used to compare economies, guide research and help international institutions assess countries and territories according to broad income levels.

The current income thresholds are:

• Low income: $1,175 or less per capita

• Lower middle income: $1,176 to $4,635

• Upper middle income: $4,636 to $14,375

• High income: Above $14,375

For St. Maarten, the classification can exist alongside concerns about expensive food and electricity, limited affordable housing, income inequality and the financial vulnerability of households. The World Bank itself notes that no single measure can fully reflect the complexity of an economy’s development.

The classification also does not mean that St. Maarten and Saint Martin have been ranked against each other. The World Bank places economies into broad income groups rather than publishing a league table showing which side of the island is wealthier.

The term “country” in the World Bank tables also does not indicate political independence. The institution uses the term interchangeably with “economy” and includes territories for which separate economic information is reported.

The designation is reviewed annually and may change as income estimates, population figures, inflation and exchange rates are revised. The World Bank said the 2027 classifications are based on the best available 2025 data and may later be adjusted as final economic estimates become available.

For both St. Maarten and Saint Martin, the classification points to the size of average economic output and income, but it does not remove the need to examine who benefits from that income and whether residents can afford basic living expenses.

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