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Montserrat

Montserrat: Overseas Territory Profile (as of May 2022)

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SOCIOECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

Montserrat has one of the highest poverty rates among Eastern Caribbean countries, with more than 36 per cent of its population living in poverty and 3 per cent in extreme poverty. Among the poor, 47 per cent are children aged 0-17, which is significantly higher than the country´s poverty rate for adults aged 18 + years which is 31 percent. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty rates are expected to increase significantly, impacting society as a whole and specifically children. Severe poverty is expected to increase from 3 per cent pre-pandemic to 17 per cent as a result of COVID-19.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment in Montserrat has experienced a staggering increase of 87 per cent in only 2 years - from 4.64 in 2018 to 8.7 per cent in 2020.

KEY ISSUES

RESOURCE SCARCITY AND MIGRATION

Multiple eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano (1995-1997) have had a significant impact on physical and human capital resulting in close to 60 per cent of the island’s land area in the south was rendered uninhabitable and almost half of the population has fled the island. During the 1996-1997 Soufriere Hill volcano eruption, almost half of the entire island population was affected with approximately 70 per cent of arable land lost and 50 per cent of springs and wells destroyed. This has created a major challenge to agricultural growth and food security, contributing to the territory’s dependence on food imports.

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