The economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis is heavily dependent upon tourism revenues, which has replaced sugar, the traditional mainstay of the economy until the 1970s. Following the 2005 harvest, the government closed the sugar industry after decades of losses of 3-4% of GDP annually. To compensate for employment losses, the government has embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and to stimulate other sectors of the economy, such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking. More than 200,000 tourists visited the islands in 2009. Like other tourist destinations in the Caribbean, St. Kitts and Nevis is vulnerable to damage from natural disasters and shifts in tourism demand. The current government is constrained by one of the world's highest public debt burdens equivalent to roughly 185% of GDP, largely attributable to public enterprise losses.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$719.5 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 210 $730.5 million (2009 est.)
$772.7 million (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$562 million (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-1.5% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 202 -5.5% (2009 est.)
4.6% (2008 est.)