Sub-region of Americas · Country Index 2026

Caribbean

How are the countries of Caribbean doing?

Half of Caribbean’s 10 placed countries sit at or above 78th of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 10th of 21 sub-regions. Barbados is placed highest, joint 63rd; Haiti lowest, 169th. None reaches the world’s top fifth. 14 more of its 24 countries and territories are not placed.

CaribbeanUN M49 029

78th

median position of 178 · 10th of 21 sub-regions

Americas →median 78th

24countries and territories
10placed in the Country Index 2026
78thmedian position of 178
10thof 21 sub-regions
43.5 millionpeople, 2023the sum of 24 countries’ figures, UN DESA
220,213km² of land, 2024the sum of 24 countries’ figures, FAO

01Who is in it

The countries of Caribbean

Alphabetical, with each country’s own banner photograph. The position is its place in the whole world ranking, never within the region.

Photo: Panoramio user onj · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
Anguilla
Capital
The Valley
People, 2023
14,410
Land, 2024
90.65 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 1 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Health & Wellbeing, 44th of 200
Photo: Z_dead from London, UK derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Antigua and Barbuda
Capital
St. John's
People, 2023
93,316
Land, 2024
440.3 km²
Country Index80th of 178
Placed highest on Democracy & Civil Liberties, 58th of 198
Photo: Serge Melki · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Aruba
Capital
Oranjestad
People, 2023
107,939
Land, 2024
180 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 1 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Energy, 129th of 193
Photo: Bryce Edwards from San Jose, CA, USA derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Bahamas
Capital
Nassau
People, 2023
399,440
Land, 2024
10,010 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 11 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Food & Agriculture, 24th of 175
Photo: Berit Watkin , derivative work (crop) by Globe-trotter · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Barbados
Capital
Bridgetown
People, 2023
282,336
Land, 2024
431 km²
Country Indexjoint 63rd of 178
Placed highest on Peace & Security, joint 7th of 177
Photo: Jackie · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
British Virgin Islands
Capital
Road Town
People, 2023
38,985
Land, 2024
151 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 2 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Health & Wellbeing, 76th of 200
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
Cayman Islands
Capital
George Town
People, 2023
73,038
Land, 2024
240 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 3 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Mobility & Trade, 78th of 147
Photo: Rastapopulous · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Cuba
Capital
Havana
People, 2023
11,019,931
Land, 2024
103,800 km²
Country Index120th of 178
Placed highest on Health & Wellbeing, 55th of 200
Photo: Mtmelendez · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Curaçao
Capital
Willemstad
People, 2023
185,427
Land, 2024
444 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 1 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Education & Knowledge, joint 111th of 171
Photo: Rita Nerwall · CC0, greyscale
Dominica
Capital
Roseau
People, 2023
66,510
Land, 2024
751 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 8 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Risk & Resilience, 61st of 192
Photo: Tamas Iklodi w:en:User:It419 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Dominican Republic
Capital
Santo Domingo
People, 2023
11,331,265
Land, 2024
48,198 km²
Country Index72nd of 178
Placed highest on Peace & Security, 24th of 177
Photo: Dirk.heldmaier derivative work: Inkey · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Grenada
Capital
St. George's
People, 2023
117,081
Land, 2024
344 km²
Country Index98th of 178
Placed highest on Democracy & Civil Liberties, 35th of 198
Photo: Santiagockn · CC0, greyscale
Haiti
Capital
Port-au-Prince
People, 2023
11,637,398
Land, 2024
27,560 km²
Country Index169th of 178
Placed highest on Environment & Sustainability, joint 28th of 181
Photo: Konstantin Papushin · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
Jamaica
Capital
Kingston
People, 2023
2,839,786
Land, 2024
10,830 km²
Country Indexjoint 74th of 178
Placed highest on Work & Labour, 25th of 182
Photo: Pat Hawks derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
Montserrat
Capitals
Brades, Plymouth
People, 2023
4,420
Land, 2024
102 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 2 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Health & Wellbeing, 68th of 200
Photo: derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
Puerto Rico
Capital
San Juan
People, 2023
3,242,023
Land, 2024
8,870 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 4 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Development & Human Capital, 63rd of 196
Photo: Infilms derivative work: Inkey · CC BY-SA 2.5, greyscale
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Capital
Basseterre
People, 2023
46,758
Land, 2024
261 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 8 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Democracy & Civil Liberties, 33rd of 198
Photo: Mjr74 · CC0, greyscale
Saint Lucia
Capital
Castries
People, 2023
179,285
Land, 2024
610 km²
Country Index66th of 178
Placed highest on Risk & Resilience, 21st of 192
Photo: UpstateNYer · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
Saint Martin
Capital
Marigot
People, 2023
27,515
Land, 2024
53 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 0 of 16 topics
Photo: Nikonian derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Capital
Kingstown
People, 2023
101,323
Land, 2024
389 km²
Country Index78th of 178
Placed highest on Food & Agriculture, 16th of 175
Photo: Jonathan Palombo · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Sint Maarten
Capital
Philipsburg
People, 2023
42,749
Land, 2024
34 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 0 of 16 topics
Photo: Wikifurn · CC0, greyscale
Trinidad and Tobago
Capital
Port of Spain
People, 2023
1,502,932
Land, 2024
5,128 km²
Country Index92nd of 178
Placed highest on Peace & Security, 16th of 177
Photo: Tim Sackton derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
Turks and Caicos Islands
Capital
Cockburn Town
People, 2023
46,198
Land, 2024
948.23 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 3 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Health & Wellbeing, 36th of 200
Photo: Fred Hsu ( Wikipedia:User:Fred Hsu on en.wikipedia ) · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
United States Virgin Islands
Capital
Charlotte Amalie
People, 2023
85,701
Land, 2024
348 km²
Not placed in the Country Index — standings on 1 of 16 topics
Placed highest on Work & Labour, 89th of 182

02The region

About Caribbean

The island states and territories of the Caribbean Sea.

The Caribbean is made up of the islands of the Caribbean Sea and the nearby Atlantic, from the Bahamas and Cuba in the north to Trinidad and Tobago off the coast of South America. The Greater Antilles hold the largest islands, and the smaller islands of the Lesser Antilles curve south and east in an arc, many of them volcanic.

Its first peoples, among them the Taíno and the Kalinago, were largely destroyed after European arrival in 1492. Spain, Britain, France and the Netherlands fought over the islands for centuries, and plantation economies were built on the labour of enslaved Africans. Haiti became independent in 1804; some islands are now independent states and others remain territories linked to the United States, Britain, France or the Netherlands.

03Where

Caribbean on the map

Each member shaded by its position in the Country Index 2026, darkest for the best placed; the countries across its land borders in grey. Hover a country for its position, or select it to open its profile.

Country Index position: 1st178thMember, not placedAcross the border, another regionNot a country this site tracks

04Country Index 2026

Where Caribbean’s countries place

Best placed first. Every position is a place in the whole world ranking of 178, never a second list within the region; “=” marks a position shared with another country. Hover the ⓘ for where a country would sit if any one key statistic were dropped.

The full Country Index 2026

Caribbean’s 10 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In region	Country	In the world
1	Barbados	63 / 178between 53rd and 71st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2	Saint Lucia	66 / 178between 56th and 75th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
3	Dominican Republic	72 / 178between 67th and 74th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
4	Jamaica	74 / 178between 71st and 82nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
5	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	78 / 178between 69th and 86th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 16 topics
6	Antigua and Barbuda	80 / 178between 70th and 86th if any one key were dropped · standings on 12 of 16 topics
7	Trinidad and Tobago	92 / 178between 82nd and 97th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
8	Grenada	98 / 178between 86th and 104th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
9	Cuba	120 / 178between 114th and 127th if any one key were dropped · standings on 13 of 16 topics
10	Haiti	169 / 178between 167th and 174th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics

A further 14 of its countries and territories are not placed: the Country Index 2026 places a country only once it holds a standing on 12 of its 16 voting topics. Anguilla, Aruba, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands and United States Virgin Islands.

Caribbean among the 21 sub-regions with a median

10th of 21. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

1Northern Europe6th10 of 13Placed countries run from Denmark 2nd to Latvia 25th.
2Western Europe10th7 of 9Placed countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 19th.
3Australia and New Zealand17th2 of 2Placed countries run from New Zealand 17th to Australia 24th.
3Northern America17th2 of 4Placed countries run from Canada 17th to United States 37th.
5Eastern Asia23rd4 of 8Placed countries run from South Korea 14th to Mongolia 73rd.
6Southern Europe32nd12 of 17Placed countries run from Slovenia 12th to Bosnia and Herzegovina 63rd.
7Eastern Europe39th10 of 10Placed countries run from Czechia 11th to Russia 68th.
8Polynesia70th2 of 7Placed countries run from Samoa 70th to Tonga 85th.
9South America74th12 of 12Placed countries run from Uruguay 34th to Venezuela 137th.
10Caribbean78th10 of 24Placed countries run from Barbados 63rd to Haiti 169th.
11Central America81st8 of 8Placed countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 134th.
12Western Asia93rd17 of 19Placed countries run from Cyprus 35th to Yemen 176th.
13South-eastern Asia95th11 of 11Placed countries run from Singapore 26th to Myanmar 153rd.
14Central Asia100th5 of 5Placed countries run from Kazakhstan 60th to Turkmenistan 148th.
14Southern Asia100th9 of 9Placed countries run from Bhutan 44th to Afghanistan 172nd.
16Melanesia106th4 of 5Placed countries run from Fiji 62nd to Papua New Guinea 138th.
17Southern Africa116th5 of 5Placed countries run from South Africa 102nd to Eswatini 140th.
18Northern Africa127th6 of 6Placed countries run from Tunisia 107th to Libya 174th.
19Eastern Africa143rd17 of 19Placed countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 177th.
20Western Africa144th16 of 16Placed countries run from Cabo Verde 74th to Guinea-Bissau 168th.
21Middle Africa161st9 of 9Placed countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 104th to Chad 175th.
Micronesia—none placed
Americas, the whole continent78th
The world’s midpoint88th

1st178thmedianplaced

The square is each region’s median position; the grey bar runs from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country. Hover a row for their names.

05By subject

Topic by topic

Every country’s position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field; select a cell for the country’s page on the topic. Strongest for Caribbean: Peace & Security, 4th of 20 sub-regions. Weakest: Energy, 22nd of 22.

All topics

Caribbean: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
	Peace & Security	Democracy & Civil Liberties	Risk & Resilience	Development & Human Capital	Food & Agriculture	Governance & Institutions	Economy & Innovation	Work & Labour	Environment & Sustainability	Gender & Equality	Mobility & Trade	Health & Wellbeing	Education & Knowledge	Poverty & Inequality	Digital & Technology	Energy	Money & Public Finance	People & Population
Barbados	7 of 177	31 of 198	32 of 192	79 of 196	45 of 175	45 of 194	96 of 176	54 of 182	166 of 181	82 of 183	104 of 147	77 of 200	84 of 171	74 of 159	164 of 198	153 of 193	No standing	No standing
Saint Lucia	No standing	51 of 198	21 of 192	110 of 196	35 of 175	66 of 194	34 of 176	91 of 182	106 of 181	43 of 183	No standing	121 of 200	91 of 171	70 of 159	167 of 198	179 of 193	No standing	No standing
Dominican Republic	24 of 177	67 of 198	145 of 192	108 of 196	41 of 175	79 of 194	67 of 176	83 of 182	115 of 181	54 of 183	68 of 147	117 of 200	95 of 171	82 of 159	89 of 198	136 of 193	No standing	No standing
Jamaica	36 of 177	53 of 198	97 of 192	132 of 196	153 of 175	56 of 194	93 of 176	25 of 182	88 of 181	37 of 183	80 of 147	119 of 200	55 of 171	89 of 159	130 of 198	144 of 193	No standing	No standing
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	No standing	41 of 198	56 of 192	95 of 196	16 of 175	82 of 194	85 of 176	131 of 182	73 of 181	115 of 183	No standing	108 of 200	No standing	No standing	177 of 198	142 of 193	No standing	No standing
Antigua and Barbuda	No standing	58 of 198	79 of 192	66 of 196	67 of 175	84 of 194	72 of 176	No standing	127 of 181	73 of 183	71 of 147	71 of 200	No standing	No standing	165 of 198	161 of 193	No standing	No standing
Trinidad and Tobago	16 of 177	55 of 198	60 of 192	85 of 196	70 of 175	77 of 194	80 of 176	68 of 182	167 of 181	75 of 183	117 of 147	127 of 200	113 of 171	No standing	120 of 198	176 of 193	No standing	No standing
Grenada	No standing	35 of 198	40 of 192	92 of 196	113 of 175	106 of 194	77 of 176	No standing	97 of 181	53 of 183	94 of 147	105 of 200	71 of 171	92 of 159	182 of 198	188 of 193	No standing	No standing
Cuba	95 of 177	177 of 198	111 of 192	83 of 196	141 of 175	145 of 194	No standing	78 of 182	86 of 181	No standing	141 of 147	55 of 200	67 of 171	No standing	136 of 198	175 of 193	No standing	No standing
Haiti	109 of 177	161 of 198	181 of 192	177 of 196	163 of 175	184 of 194	151 of 176	155 of 182	28 of 181	160 of 183	144 of 147	176 of 200	161 of 171	No standing	165 of 198	124 of 193	No standing	No standing
Anguilla	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	44 of 200	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing
Aruba	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	129 of 193	No standing	No standing
Bahamas	No standing	51 of 198	76 of 192	99 of 196	24 of 175	69 of 194	No standing	108 of 182	No standing	No standing	68 of 147	93 of 200	144 of 171	No standing	151 of 198	184 of 193	No standing	No standing
British Virgin Islands	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	76 of 200	149 of 171	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing
Cayman Islands	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	78 of 147	No standing	119 of 171	No standing	No standing	169 of 193	No standing	No standing
Curaçao	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	111 of 171	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing
Dominica	No standing	65 of 198	61 of 192	96 of 196	60 of 175	100 of 194	No standing	No standing	83 of 181	No standing	No standing	145 of 200	No standing	No standing	145 of 198	No standing	No standing	No standing
Montserrat	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	68 of 200	No standing	No standing	No standing	191 of 193	No standing	No standing
Puerto Rico	No standing	No standing	No standing	63 of 196	No standing	No standing	No standing	72 of 182	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	115 of 171	No standing	No standing	172 of 193	No standing	No standing
Saint Kitts and Nevis	No standing	33 of 198	41 of 192	67 of 196	No standing	127 of 194	No standing	No standing	154 of 181	No standing	No standing	116 of 200	No standing	No standing	179 of 198	155 of 193	No standing	No standing
Saint Martin	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing
Sint Maarten	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing
Turks and Caicos Islands	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	36 of 200	32 of 171	No standing	No standing	173 of 193	No standing	No standing
United States Virgin Islands	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	89 of 182	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing	No standing
Region median	24th of 177	53rd of 198	61st of 192	92nd of 196	60th of 175	82nd of 194	80th of 176	83rd of 182	97th of 181	73rd of 183	80th of 147	105th of 200	95th of 171	82nd of 159	164th of 198	169th of 193	—	—
Among sub-regions	4th of 20	7th of 22	7th of 22	9th of 22	9th of 21	9th of 22	10th of 21	10th of 21	11th of 21	11th of 21	12th of 21	14th of 22	15th of 21	15th of 21	21st of 22	22nd of 22	—	—

Columns run from the topic where Caribbean places best among sub-regions to the one where it places lowest. A region’s median on a topic needs at least two members with a standing; a hatched cell has no standing.

06In numbers

Caribbean in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Caribbean’s countries are the red ticks, and the dashed line is the world median. There is no regional average: a region has countries, not a life expectancy of its own.

All statistics

Population
people · log scale
UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · no better end
Land area
km²
FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end
GDP per person
international $, PPP · log scale
World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better
No reading: Anguilla, Aruba, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Montserrat, Saint Martin, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands
Life expectancy
years at birth
UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · higher is better
Human development
HDI, 0–1
UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better
No reading: Anguilla, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands
Unemployment
% of the labour force
ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better
No reading: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands

Every value for Caribbean’s countries

Country	Population 2023	Land area 2024	GDP per person 2025	Life expectancy 2023	Human development 2023	Unemployment 2025
Anguilla	14,410rank 216	90.65rank 211	—	79.31rank 56	—	—
Antigua and Barbuda	93,316rank 194	440.3rank 193	30,620rank 62	77.6rank 76	0.851rank 53	—
Aruba	107,939rank 191	180rank 207	—	76.35rank 92	—	—
Bahamas	399,440rank 176	10,010rank 163	—	74.55rank 113	0.82rank 66	9.207rank 39
Barbados	282,336rank 180	431rank 194	22,127rank 78	76.18rank 96	0.811rank 69	6.524rank 64
British Virgin Islands	38,985rank 209	151rank 209	—	77.28rank 81	—	—
Cayman Islands	73,038rank 198	240rank 202	—	80.36rank 49	—	—
Cuba	11,019,931rank 86	103,800rank 103	—	78.09rank 66	0.762rank 97	1.746rank 168
Curaçao	185,427rank 184	444rank 192	—	76.8rank 86	—	—
Dominica	66,510rank 199	751rank 181	19,409rank 85	71.13rank 150	0.761rank 98	—
Dominican Republic	11,331,265rank 85	48,198rank 127	24,543rank 72	73.72rank 119	0.776rank 89	5.092rank 91
Grenada	117,081rank 189	344rank 197	18,241rank 90	75.21rank 107	0.791rank 80	—
Haiti	11,637,398rank 82	27,560rank 142	2,678rank 172	64.94rank 195	0.554rank 166	14.94rank 16
Jamaica	2,839,786rank 142	10,830rank 160	11,358rank 117	71.48rank 145	0.72rank 117	3.286rank 133
Montserrat	4,420rank 220	102rank 210	—	76.19rank 95	—	—
Puerto Rico	3,242,023rank 135	8,870rank 165	44,603rank 41	81.69rank 37	—	5.991rank 72
Saint Kitts and Nevis	46,758rank 204	261rank 200	31,428rank 59	72.14rank 136	0.84rank 58	—
Saint Lucia	179,285rank 185	610rank 185	24,503rank 73	72.7rank 131	0.748rank 103	9.452rank 37
Saint Martin	27,515rank 214	53rank 214	—	80.22rank 50	—	—
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	101,323rank 193	389rank 195	19,483rank 84	71.23rank 147	0.798rank 76	18rank 10
Sint Maarten	42,749rank 207	34rank 215	48,273rank 36	76.37rank 91	—	—
Trinidad and Tobago	1,502,932rank 155	5,128rank 168	31,722rank 58	73.49rank 123	0.807rank 72	3.329rank 129
Turks and Caicos Islands	46,198rank 205	948.23rank 178	—	78.01rank 68	—	—
United States Virgin Islands	85,701rank 195	348rank 196	—	75.47rank 103	—	11.44rank 28

07In records

Caribbean in records

The member at the extreme of each statistic, read from its newest edition. Where two members share the top, no record is named.

Most populous
Haiti
11,637,398
people
UN DESA Population Division · data for 2023
Largest by land area
Cuba
103,800
square kilometres
FAO · data for 2024
Highest GDP per person
Sint Maarten
48,273
international $ at purchasing power parity
World Bank Group · data for 2025
Longest life expectancy
Puerto Rico
81.69
years at birth
UN DESA Population Division · data for 2023
Highest human development
Antigua and Barbuda
0.851
on the Human Development Index, 0–1
UNDP Human Development Report Office · data for 2023
Perceived as least corrupt
Barbados
68
on the Corruption Perceptions Index, 0–100
Transparency International · data for 2025

08Latest editions

Who rose and fell in the published ranks

The moves of Caribbean’s countries between each report’s two newest editions, in the publisher’s own ranks. A report whose field changed by more than 5% is left out.

Ranks as published by UNDP Human Development Report Office in the Human Development Index: reference years 2022 (192 countries ranked) → 2023 (193 ranked), both from its 2025 report.

Improved most

rank before → after

Saint Kitts and Nevis60 → 58+2

Declined most

rank before → after

Cuba91 → 97−6
Antigua and Barbuda51 → 53−2
Dominican Republic87 → 89−2

Every country in the Human Development Index

09Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Americas

10Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Caribbean?

24 countries and territories: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands and United States Virgin Islands. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Caribbean is placed highest?

Barbados, placed joint 63rd of 178 in the Country Index 2026. Haiti is placed lowest, 169th. 10 of the region’s 24 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Caribbean compare with other regions?

Half of its 10 placed countries sit at or above 78th of 178, which places it 10th of 21 sub-regions. The median across Americas is 78th. The middle of the whole field is 88th. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Caribbean?

43,485,766 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 24 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in Caribbean?

By land area, Cuba: 103,800 square kilometres (2024). By population, Haiti: 11,637,398 people (2023).

How a region’s figure is made

Membership. Countries belong to regions by the United Nations’ M49 classification; each country declares its sub-region, and a continent is the sum of its sub-regions.
Positions. Each country’s position is its Country Index 2026 result, unchanged. This page slices the world ranking by place; it does not re-rank anyone.
The median. A region’s figure is the median of its placed countries’ positions: half sit at or above it, half below. With an even number of placed countries it takes the better of the two middle positions, since there is no country at a half place. Countries the index does not place are named, never counted in.
A place among peers. Continents are compared with continents and sub-regions with sub-regions, never a part with the whole that contains it; regions sharing a median share a place. Nothing is weighted by population or size, and population and land area are the only figures ever added up.

Where the regions come from

United Nations Statistics Division, Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49). M49’s middle level (Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean) is left out, so every sub-region sits directly under its continent. Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland are not in M49 and are placed by geography.

Where the positions come from

Every position is a country’s result in the Country Index 2026 or one of its topics, unchanged. The population and land-area figures are the UN DESA Population Division’s and the FAO’s, added up and shown with their year; every other statistic names its publisher beside its numbers.

Photographs

Each country’s own banner from its profile: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Anguilla — Panoramio user onj, CC BY 3.0
Antigua and Barbuda — Z_dead from London, UK derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 2.0
Aruba — Serge Melki, CC BY 2.0
Bahamas — Bryce Edwards from San Jose, CA, USA derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 2.0
Barbados — Berit Watkin , derivative work (crop) by Globe-trotter, CC BY 2.0
British Virgin Islands — Jackie, CC BY 2.0
Cayman Islands — Diego Delso, CC BY 3.0
Cuba — Rastapopulous, CC BY-SA 3.0
Curaçao — Mtmelendez, CC BY-SA 3.0
Dominica — Rita Nerwall, CC0
Dominican Republic — Tamas Iklodi w:en:User:It419, CC BY-SA 3.0
Grenada — Dirk.heldmaier derivative work: Inkey, CC BY-SA 3.0
Haiti — Santiagockn, CC0
Jamaica — Konstantin Papushin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Montserrat — Pat Hawks derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
Puerto Rico — derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 2.0
Saint Kitts and Nevis — Infilms derivative work: Inkey, CC BY-SA 2.5
Saint Lucia — Mjr74, CC0
Saint Martin — UpstateNYer, CC BY 3.0
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — Nikonian derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
Sint Maarten — Jonathan Palombo, CC BY 2.0
Trinidad and Tobago — Wikifurn, CC0
Turks and Caicos Islands — Tim Sackton derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 2.0
United States Virgin Islands — Fred Hsu ( Wikipedia:User:Fred Hsu on en.wikipedia ), CC BY-SA 3.0

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Caribbean: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/caribbean