Both countries benefited from the lower international oil and food prices during 2013. As a result, Sint Maarten’s inflation rate dropped from 4.0% in 2012 to 2.7% in 2013. Meanwhile, Curaçao posted an inflation rate of 1.5% in 2013, down from the 2.3% a year earlier.
An analysis based on preliminary data of the sectoral performance in Sint Maarten shows that the real GDP growth in 2013 resulted primarily from the manufacturing and the construction sectors, mitigated by a decline in the financial intermediation sector. Real output growth in the manufacturing sector was the result of more repair activities on yachts that visited Sint Maarten.