Aruba has followed a successful economic path: the island has experienced an impressive rise in prosperity and has reached the level of developed economies. This makes it clear that the next phase of development is not about more growth, but about making better use of existing prosperity. This is demonstrated by Koert van Buiren, Martijn Mak, and Hannah van Bilsen in their chapter in Volk van Veerkracht (edited by René Zwart and Luc Alofs).

With the Status Aparte in 1986, Aruba deliberately chose its own development path, with tourism as the economic engine. Forty years later, it can be concluded that this strategy has been successful. Specialization in tourism, combined with strong institutions and an open economy, has enabled Aruba to overcome the structural constraints of a small island state. The result: strong growth in GDP per capita, a high level of prosperity, and relatively low unemployment.

At the same time, Aruba still lags behind developed economies in several dimensions of broad well-being—such as public health, education, and income distribution. The challenge for the coming decades is to translate the high level of prosperity achieved into greater well-being for the people of Aruba. Investing in health, human capital, sustainability, and a balanced income distribution is essential in this regard—not only for social objectives, but also for long-term economic resilience.

Read the book Volk van Veerkracht here (available in Dutch only).