Thirdly, the Caribbean has the unenviable reputation as one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. Over the last 60 years, Caribbean countries have suffered from 187 natural disasters (mainly hurricanes and floods). The effects on growth and debt associated with the frequent recurrence of these natural disasters are also significant.
The average growth rate for the next decade or two is defined by the potential growth rate, which can be broken down into the rate of growth in the number of workers and that in the real GDP per worker – in other words, the labor productivity growth rate.