An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study projects that by 2050, more than one in five individuals in The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago will have a disability. The increase of 5.9 percentage points from the 2020 projection is significant. Given the fast-aging population, this demographic shift highlights the need for urgent … [Read more...] about Disability in the Caribbean: What We Know and How to Promote Inclusion
Jamaica
Resilient Safety Nets: Future-Proofing Retirement Incomes in the Caribbean
Albeit at different rates, Caribbean countries have seen their populations gradually age over time. This is the result of several factors including falling fertility rates, emigration of its working population and increasing life expectancies. Even though population aging is the result of important social achievements, such as the increase in life expectancy, it … [Read more...] about Resilient Safety Nets: Future-Proofing Retirement Incomes in the Caribbean
Connecting the Caribbean to the Pan-American Highway for Digital Health
Recently, seven Caribbean countries—Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago—met in Kingston, Jamaica, for Caribbean Connect: Building the Pan-American Highway for Digital Health. Hosted by the IDB and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), this sub-regional meeting aimed to advance the Caribbean vision for digital health … [Read more...] about Connecting the Caribbean to the Pan-American Highway for Digital Health
Gender gaps in education in the Caribbean: are girls doing better than boys?
The Caribbean region has made considerable progress in terms of access to education, achieving virtually universal primary school enrollment and similar levels of educational attainment relative to comparable countries. However, there are persistent learning inequalities throughout students’ life cycles as they progress from primary to secondary and tertiary education. … [Read more...] about Gender gaps in education in the Caribbean: are girls doing better than boys?
Financial Access for Firms: Jamaica’s Challenges and Opportunities
Jamaica’s successful and sustained reform efforts over the past decade have laid the foundation for more rapid financial development, but findings suggest that access to finance remains a major obstacle to investment, innovation, and development for firms across the region—particularly smaller enterprises and those led by women. A new joint publication from the IDB’s … [Read more...] about Financial Access for Firms: Jamaica’s Challenges and Opportunities