Poverty on Bonaire is underestimated because of assumptions about households’ housing situation. Officially, 21 percent of households on Bonaire live in poverty. That figure probably underestimates the real level of poverty, because the poverty line assumes the rent of a social housing unit. Social housing is scarce on the island: in 2024, around 2,400 people were on the waiting list for 605 homes. Many residents therefore depend on the private rental market, where rents are 700 to 1,000 euros per month higher. A single person with a median income stays above the poverty line in social housing, but falls below it when renting privately. In addition, the subsidy scheme for private rent reaches only about 350 people. Notably, the waiting lists are growing while the official poverty figures are falling.

This is the conclusion of Joris Nanne, Hannah van Bilsen and Martijn Mak of Economisch Bureau Amsterdam in a contribution to ESB. The full article (in Dutch) is available on the ESB website.