Rising inflation in the Caribbean Netherlands
On St Eustatius, prices were up by 4.9 percent year-on-year, versus 2.7 percent one quarter previously. The increase was mainly attributable to rising prices of electricity, water and food. On Saba, the inflation rate rose from 4.0 to 6.7 percent in Q1 2022. Rising prices of electricity, food and toiletries all contributed to the inflation on Saba.
| Jaar | Kwartaal | Bonaire (y-o-y % change) | St Eustatius (y-o-y % change) | Saba (y-o-y % change) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Q1 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| 2014 | Q2 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 2.0 |
| 2014 | Q3 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
| 2014 | Q4 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| 2015 | Q1 | -0.6 | -1.1 | 1.5 |
| 2015 | Q2 | -0.9 | -1.7 | 0.9 |
| 2015 | Q3 | -0.9 | -0.5 | -0.4 |
| 2015 | Q4 | -1.2 | -0.7 | -0.1 |
| 2016 | Q1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 2016 | Q2 | 0.4 | -0.1 | 0.0 |
| 2016 | Q3 | 0.6 | -0.9 | 0.2 |
| 2016 | Q4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | -0.3 |
| 2017 | Q1 | 0.1 | 1.1 | -1.0 |
| 2017 | Q2 | 0.4 | 2.6 | -1.0 |
| 2017 | Q3 | 0.6 | 2.1 | -1.3 |
| 2017 | Q4 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2.5 |
| 2018 | Q1 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 2.9 |
| 2018 | Q2 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 3.2 |
| 2018 | Q3 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 4.4 |
| 2018 | Q4 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| 2019 | Q1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| 2019 | Q2 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| 2019 | Q3 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| 2019 | Q4 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| 2020 | Q1 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| 2020 | Q2 | -1.0 | -0.8 | -0.8 |
| 2020 | Q3 | -4.8 | -3.3 | -1.6 |
| 2020 | Q4 | -5.2 | -3.2 | -0.8 |
| 2021 | Q1 | -3.2 | -4.1 | -1.3 |
| 2021 | Q2 | 0.3 | -1.2 | 1.0 |
| 2021 | Q3 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 3.2 |
| 2021 | Q4 | 5.7 | 2.7 | 4.0 |
| 2022 | Q1 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 6.7 |
Prices on Bonaire 4.9 percent up on the previous quarter
Relative to Q4 2021, prices on Bonaire rose by 4.9 percent in Q1 2022. The increase was mainly due to discontinuation of COVID-related subsidies on the standing charge for energy and water as of December 2021. Together with a rise in variable energy costs, this led to an increase of 43.5 percent in the price of electricity and 29.2 percent in the price of water. Costs of transportation rose by 3.6 percent: the price of petrol was up by 6.8 percent, of diesel by 0.9 percent; airplane tickets were 2.7 percent up on the previous quarter. In addition, food prices rose by 1.7 percent.
1.5-percent price increase on Statia relative to the previous quarter
On St Eustatius, consumer prices rose by 1.5 percent in Q1 relative to the final quarter of 2021.
Quarter on quarter, water and electricity were up by 11.0 and 10.2 percent, respectively. Furniture was 14.3 percent more expensive in Q1 than in the previous quarter.
Saba recorded 2.4-percent q-o-q price increase
In Q1 2022, consumers on Saba paid on average 2.4 percent more for goods and services than in Q4 2021. Housing was 5.4 percent up due to increased prices of electricity (25.1 percent) and building materials (3.4 percent). In the same quarter, furniture became 19.0 percent more expensive; audio and video equipment 9.9 percent. Prices of toiletries rose by over 9 percent.
Provisional figures
The provisional figures for Q4 2021 for St Eustatius and Saba have been adjusted due to revised figures for education. Figures referring to Q1 2022 are provisional and will be definitive upon publication of the figures over Q2 2022.
Papiamentu
A Papiamentu translation of this news release can be obtained from Statistics Netherlands’ office on Bonaire by sending a request via email to: caribischnederland@cbs.nl.