OECD – IDB Group launch 2026 Caribbean Development Dynamics Report with actionable policy recommendations

• New Analysis Charts Path to Scale Investment and Bolster Sustainable Resilience Across the Caribbean

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Greater investment is needed for Caribbean countries to strengthen resilience, close infrastructure gaps and achieve sustainable growth, according to a new joint report by the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The main findings of the second edition of the Caribbean Development Dynamics Report 2026: Investing in Sustainable and Resilient Development was central in the discussions among regional leaders, economists, policymakers, and international partners in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, during the ONE Caribbean Ministerial Dialogue on April 21. The event facilitated regional dialogue and generated actionable recommendations for IDB member states and the wider region.

The Caribbean Development Dynamics Report 2026 presents three priority areas for policy action to drive sustainable growth:

1. Deepening Regional Integration and International Partnerships

The report emphasises that deeper regional cooperation can amplify investment, reduce costs, strengthen institutions, and bring the necessary scale to projects that would be difficult to deliver individually. Platforms such as the IDB Group’s ONE Caribbean program provide a practical framework for this cooperation, aligning priorities, strengthening project pipelines, and mobilising public and private investment across countries.

2. Embedding Resilience in Investment Planning

The report underscores the essential role of resilient infrastructure, early warning systems, and well-designed public-private partnerships in protecting livelihoods, safeguarding natural assets, and reducing long-term fiscal risks. Investments aligned with the Caribbean’s inherent strengths – such as the blue economy, energy, the creative economy, and tourism – can robustly support long-term development.

3. Diversifying Financing Sources 

The scale of required investment necessitates diversified financing sources, including domestic resource mobilization, private-sector participation, and international capital flows. The report underscores the importance of innovative financial instruments, such as green, social, sustainability, and blue bonds, as well as debt-for-nature swaps and resilient debt clauses.

The Caribbean Development Dynamics Report 2026 is available here: The Caribbean Development Dynamics Report 2026.

Foreword

Caribbean Development Dynamics 2026 is the second edition of the flagship report by the OECD Development Centre and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), analysing key development trends in the Caribbean through a comparative and multi-dimensional approach.

This publication is the result of the fruitful dialogue between the two institutions and reflects their shared conviction of the need for a dedicated report to inform policy dialogue on the development of the Caribbean region.

The report seeks to shape the debate on development opportunities in the Caribbean by providing comparable data, policy recommendations, and a regional perspective on shared policy priorities, while recognising diversity as a unique asset. It also underscores the specific challenges facing the region and brings into the discussion relevant policy experiences – from within and outside the region – that can unlock development.

This edition reflects the strong engagement of the OECD Development Centre and the IDB with the Caribbean. The OECD Development Centre is expanding its work and membership with the region, while the IDB is carrying out this work under the framework of its flagship regional programme, ONE Caribbean, which provides an operational platform to translate shared regional priorities into implementable investment pipelines, strengthened institutions, and scalable partnerships. This institutional collaboration reflects a shared commitment to advance the region’s development agenda by leveraging resources, strengthening co-operation and harnessing economies of scale to tackle critical shared challenges across the Caribbean.

The report focuses its analysis – with different levels of data availability – on 16 Caribbean countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. These 16 countries are part of the 39 SIDS. The report analyses them alongside the Latin America and OECD averages. When relevant, the analysis also incorporates the perspective of the “Greater Caribbean”, including other countries and territories in the Caribbean basin.

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