Sint Maarten

Economy & income

Currency

• Caribbean guilder (XCG, Cg; formerly written ƒ/NAf as the Netherlands Antillean guilder ANG)
• XCG REPLACED the ANG on 31 Mar 2025 (ANG ceased to be legal tender 1 Jul 2025; 1 ANG = 1 XCG), shared with Curaçao and issued by the Central Bank of Curaçao & Sint Maarten (CBCS)
• Pegged to the US dollar at a FIXED US$1 = Cg1.79 (numeric ISO code 532)
• The US DOLLAR is very widely used and accepted in everyday life and tourism, and card transactions often settle in USD — minimal FX friction for USD-priced offers (Jul 2026)

GDP per capita

• ~$40,028 nominal (2024, World Bank; up from ~$38,078 in 2023) — total GDP ~$1.74B (2024)
• PPP per-capita ~$49,826 (2023, World Bank; 2024 PPP not yet cleanly published)
• High-income by Caribbean standards — despite the Tier-3 label this is a small, affluent, dollarised economy (a caveat repeated throughout this profile)

Average salary

• No clean official net-wage series
• Rough anchors: typical salaries cluster ~$2,500-4,000/mo GROSS in hospitality/finance/construction (Sun&Settle, 2025)
• average annual pay ~$46,000 (~$3,833/mo)
• FLAG: these are approximate/expat-survey figures skewed toward formal-sector roles — no official Statistics-department (STAT) monthly gross/net average is published
• Net anchored via the minimum wage (~$1,058/mo, below)

Median salary

• n/a as a clean official figure — STAT publishes census income distributions, not a monthly median wage
• Anchor: ~25% of workers earn under ~$2,100/mo (Sun&Settle, 2025), so the median sits somewhat above ~$2,100/mo
• treat as approximate

Minimum wage

• Statutory minimum XCG 10.93/hr effective 1 Jan 2026 (ƒ/XCG 10.86 in 2025; indexed to CPI, +0.65%) → ~ƒ1,894.5/mo gross full-time (40h) ≈ ~$1,058/mo (~$6.11/hr) at the 1.79 peg (govt/wage.is)
• Applies age 21+ (reduced youth rates: 20yr 90%, 19yr 85%, 18yr 75%, 16-17yr 65%)

Cost of living

• High — an import-dependent tourist island where most goods are shipped in and effectively USD-priced
• FLAG: Numbeo's Sint Maarten dataset is thin and was rate-limited/unavailable at retrieval (Jul 2026)
• no reliable per-line Numbeo figures captured
• Qualitatively costs run well above regional averages (consistent with the ~$40K nominal GDP/capita and high rents)

Digital landscape

Population

• ~41.3K (STAT rebased estimate 41,349 at 1 Jan 2024 after the 2022 census; World Bank ~41,349 for 2024)
• DataReportal uses ~43.6K (Jan 2025, +1.4% YoY). 2011 census counted 33,609. FLAG: real population is likely higher than official counts due to heavy (partly undocumented) migration — over 120 nationalities, ~2/3 of residents foreign-born

Internet users

• 68.3% (~29.8K users, Jan 2025; +2.1% YoY / +608)
• ~31.7% offline

Social media users

• 72.6% (~31.7K social media identities, Jan 2025) = 89.4% of the adult 18+ population
• +3.8% YoY / +1,150
• 51.9% female / 48.1% male
• social identities = 106.3% of internet users

Mobile connections

• 89.2K cellular connections = 204% of population (Jan 2025)
• 100% broadband
• +1.2% YoY — very high multi-SIM penetration (tourism/second SIMs)

Devices

• FLAG: StatCounter publishes NO direct desktop/mobile/tablet split for SX
• Derived from StatCounter OS-combined (Jun 2026): mobile OS (Android 24.79% + iOS 19.39%) ~44% vs desktop OS (Windows 36.45% + OS X/macOS ~16.7% + Linux 2.3% + ChromeOS 0.4%) ~56% → est. mobile ~44% / desktop ~56%
• Unusually DESKTOP-leaning for a Tier-3 market — reflects the affluent, US/tourism-influenced traffic base (and a small sample)
• still, mobile reach is near-universal (204% SIM penetration)

Ad spend

• FLAG: DataReportal Digital 2025 SX publishes NO ad-spend figure and Statista has no SX breakout (market far too small)
• local digital ad spend is negligible
• Best available proxies (Jan 2025): ~31.7K social identities, ~29.8K internet users
• Facebook ~38.4K / Messenger ~32.6K / Instagram ~17.5K (NapoleonCat, Dec 2024)

Top social platforms

Facebook ~38.4K users, ~85% of pop — the dominant network; NapoleonCat, Dec 2024

Messenger ~32.6K, ~72% of pop; bundled with Facebook — NapoleonCat, Dec 2024

Instagram ~17.5K, ~39% of pop; travel/lifestyle-leaning — NapoleonCat, Dec 2024

• YouTube — very high reach for video & music; per-platform ad-reach not published for SX
• TikTok — fast-growing among under-35s; ad-reach not published by the free DataReportal report
• LinkedIn — professional niche; smaller

Messengers

• WhatsApp (dominant everyday & business messenger — Caribbean/LatAm norm)
• Facebook Messenger (~32.6K, ~72% of pop — strong secondary)
• iMessage (iOS ~44% of phones — high for the region)
• Telegram (niche). NOTE: NO mobile-money (M-Pesa-style) ecosystem — this is a USD card/bank economy, not a wallet-money market

Payments & behaviour

Payment methods

• Credit & debit cards — Visa & Mastercard (dominant online & in tourism; often settle in USD). American Express widely accepted (US visitor market)
• US-dollar cash AND Caribbean-guilder (XCG) cash — USD circulates freely alongside the local currency
• Local bank debit / online & mobile banking (WIB/Windward Islands Bank–MCB Group, RBC Royal Bank, CIBC Caribbean, Republic Bank (St. Maarten), Orco Bank)
• Sentoo — local online-payment scheme: pay from your local bank account via the bank's app/portal (live across the Dutch Caribbean incl. WIB & MCB Group in SX)
• Bank transfer

E-wallets

• PayPal (cross-border e-commerce)
• Apple Pay / Google Pay (growing, via banks)
• Sentoo (bank-linked online payments)
• No dominant domestic mobile wallet; NO mobile-money (M-Pesa-style) market

Cash on delivery

• Low — a well-banked, USD/card-oriented tourist economy
• cards and bank apps lead
• Cash-on-delivery is NOT a structural feature (a clear departure from the typical Tier-3 profile)

E-commerce

• Small domestic e-commerce
• heavy CROSS-BORDER buying from the US (Amazon via freight-forwarders / mailbox-forwarding services, given the US-oriented consumer base) plus AliExpress/Temu/Shein
• USD card processing = low FX friction
• Large tourist/cruise card volume relative to the resident base

Notes

• USD is ubiquitous alongside the XCG, so payments behave like a mini-US card market
• Sentoo is the notable local online rail
• No mobile-money
• Cards frequently settle directly in USD

Audience & culture

Languages

• English (~67.5% first language; everyday language & co-official — the dominant language, unusual for the Dutch Caribbean)
• Spanish (~12.9%; large Dominican/Latino community and migrant workforce)
• Creole / English & French-based patois (~8.2%)
• French (~6.6%; the island is shared with French Saint-Martin next door)
• Dutch (~4.2%; co-official/administrative language, learned as a second language)
• Papiamento (~2.2%; ties to Curaçao/Aruba/Bonaire)

Religion

• Christian-majority (2011 census)
• Protestant 41.9% (Pentecostal 14.7%, Methodist 10.0%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.6%, Baptist 4.7%, Anglican 3.1%, other 2.8%)
• Roman Catholic 33.1%
• Hindu 5.2% (Indian community)
• other Christian 4.1%
• Jehovah's Witness 1.7%
• Evangelical 1.4%
• Muslim/Jewish 1.1%
• none 7.9%

Median age

41.8 years (DataReportal, Jan 2025) — older than most Caribbean/LATAM markets

Key seasons

• Sint Maarten Carnival (Apr-May — the island's biggest cultural season; 2026 is the 55th edition, ~10 Apr-5 May, Grand Parade 30 Apr, plus Calypso & Soca Monarch, J'ouvert)
• High tourist & cruise season (Dec-Apr — dry season, peak stayover + cruise arrivals)
• Christmas & New Year (Dec — retail peak) and US-driven Thanksgiving/Black Friday (Nov, growing)
• St. Maarten Heineken Regatta (early Mar — flagship sailing/party event)
• King's Day / Koningsdag (27 Apr) and Sint Maarten Day (11 Nov — celebrates the whole island, Dutch & French sides)
• SXM Festival (Mar — world-renowned electronic-music festival on the island; strong tourism/party draw)

Cultural notes

• English-speaking, USD-comfortable, cruise/tourism-driven culture (~80% of the workforce is in tourism)
• Extraordinarily diverse — 120+ nationalities, ~2/3 foreign-born — so campaigns often run in English + Spanish (and French for the shared island)
• WhatsApp-first communication
• consumer tastes lean US/Caribbean/Latino
• The single island is split into Dutch Sint Maarten (SX) and French Saint-Martin (MF)

Where to find creators

• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook
• YouTube
• StarNgage / HypeAuditor rankings

Media landscape

Creators & public figures

Top creators

Keacy Carty ~n/a exact (@keacycarty; modest personal following)

InstagramWest Indies international cricketer from St. Maarten — the island's biggest current sports name; sports/betting & national-pride brand fit

N

Nicole de Weever ~n/a exact (niche arts following)

InstagramDancer/choreographer & Broadway performer (Fela!); Sint Maarten cultural ambassador — arts/culture/lifestyle brand fit

R

Rude Boy SXM (@rudeboy.sxm) ~n/a exact (local carnival following)

InstagramSoca/carnival music artist — the local Carnival-season music angle; entertainment/events brand fit

K

Karla Campos 'TechKarla' (@techkarla) ~n/a exact (micro travel creator)

Instagram/TikTokTravel-content creator highlighting SXM hidden gems — travel/tourism/tech brand fit

I

Island Style SXM (@islandstylesxm) ~n/a exact (micro fashion following)

InstagramFashion & lifestyle content about the island — apparel/lifestyle brand fit

S

SHOWME Caribbean ~n/a exact (aviation-niche channel)

YouTubeMaho Beach / SXM Airport plane-spotting live streams — the island's signature aviation-tourism content; travel/aviation brand fit

Celebrities

Keacy Carty ~n/a exact Instagram (@keacycarty)

Cricketer — first person born in St. Maarten to play for the West Indies (debut 2022) and first on the WI Test team; maiden ODI century (128*) vs England, 2024

N

Nicole de Weever ~n/a exact Instagram

Dancer & choreographer; performed on Broadway in 'Fela!' (2009/2012) and toured worldwide; named a Sint Maarten cultural ambassador

Lasana M. Sekou ~n/a (literary figure)

Poet, author, essayist & publisher (House of Nehesi); often called St. Martin's 'national poet' and a leading independence/cultural advocate — 20+ books

Sarah Wescot-Williams ~n/a (public figure)

Politician — the FIRST Prime Minister of Sint Maarten (2010-2014); long-serving Democratic Party leader and Parliament chair

Claude Wathey ~n/a (historical figure)

Politician — the dominant post-war St. Maarten leader who drove the island's tourism development and autonomy campaign; a 'father of the nation' figure

D

Drisana Deborah Jack ~n/a (artist)

St. Martin visual artist & poet (photography/installation on migration, memory & the sea); internationally exhibited — leading contemporary cultural figure

Affiliate & traffic

Hot verticals

• Travel & tourism (dominant — cruise + stayover; ~80% of the economy)
• E-commerce / cross-border retail (US-oriented)
• Gambling (LAND-BASED casinos — visitor-facing; online licensing is Curaçao's domain, not SX)
• Finance / insurance (CBCS-supervised)
• Nutra / health & beauty
• Dating (thin resident scale; transient tourist/worker demand)

Active networks

• Global CPA/affiliate networks (Awin, CJ, Impact, Admitad/Mitgo) — no significant local networks
• Amazon Associates (heavy US cross-border shopping)
• Travel affiliate programs (Booking.com, Expedia, cruise/hotel/villa operators) — tourism-driven
• Casino/hospitality partner & land-based-casino promotion (local, visitor-facing)
• Dutch/EU networks (Daisycon, TradeTracker) for occasional NL cross-border retail

Payouts

• Despite the Tier-3 label this behaves Tier-2-style: clean USD settlement (USD ubiquitous; XCG pegged 1.79), no meaningful FX friction, but small absolute resident volumes cap total scale
• Travel mostly RevShare/CPA
• casino/hospitality via partner deals

Competition

• Very low local competition — tiny (~41K residents, ~31.7K social identities), affluent, English-speaking USD market
• almost always bundled into Caribbean / US-Caribbean / Dutch-Caribbean media buys rather than run standalone
• The huge tourist/cruise inflow is the real scale story

Seasonality

• Peaks in the Dec-Apr high season (dry season + cruise peak), Carnival (Apr-May), the Heineken Regatta (Mar) and SXM Festival (Mar), plus US-driven Q4 (Thanksgiving/Black Friday, Christmas)
• Tourism arrivals set the rhythm more than resident spending

Traffic sources

• Meta (Facebook / Instagram) Ads
• TikTok Ads
• Google Search & YouTube
• WhatsApp
• Influencer / UGC (travel, carnival & lifestyle creators)

Good to know

Capital

Philipsburg

Major cities

• Philipsburg (capital, on Great Bay)
• Lower Prince's Quarter (largest district)
• Cul de Sac
• Cole Bay
• Simpson Bay (near the airport)
• Upper Prince's Quarter

Time zones

• Single zone — Atlantic Standard Time (AST), UTC-4, no daylight saving
• matches US Eastern in (northern) summer and is one hour ahead of US Eastern in winter

Android vs iOS

56% 44%

Android 56% iOS 44%

Phone brands

• Apple (~44.3%)
• Samsung (~40.1%)
• Google Pixel (~3.9%)
• Xiaomi (~1.1%)
• Motorola (~1.0%)
• Vivo (~1.0%)

Top e-commerce

• Amazon (US, via freight-forwarders / mailbox-forwarding)
• AliExpress / Temu / Shein
• Cost-U-Less / Le Grand Marché (local supermarkets)
• eBay (US cross-border)
• bol.com (occasional NL cross-border)

Peak activity

Weekday evenings ~19:00-23:00 AST (UTC-4) with a midday lunch bump; weekend late-morning & evening browsing. Audiences overlap US Eastern prime time (useful for US-timed campaigns)

Creative taboos

• Christian conservatism (keep adult/gambling creatives age-gated & off tourism placements)
• Hurricane Irma trauma (Sep 2017 devastated the island — avoid flippant disaster imagery)
• immigration & undocumented-worker tensions in a majority-foreign-born society
• political-integrity/corruption sensitivities
• the Dutch (SX) vs French (MF) island division and Kingdom-status politics
• Don't conflate Sint Maarten with Curaçao/Aruba or treat English-first SX like the Papiamentu-speaking Dutch Caribbean

Also worth knowing

1. Currency just changed — the Caribbean guilder (XCG) replaced the Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) on 31 Mar 2025 (both peg 1.79/USD), shared with Curaçao via the CBCS; the US DOLLAR is used everywhere and cards often settle in USD, so ~zero FX friction.
2. Despite the Tier-3 label SX is small but AFFLUENT (~$40K nominal GDP/capita), English-first, well-banked and CARD-based — NOT a COD/mobile-money market; behaves more Tier-2.
3. The economy is ~80% TOURISM (cruise + stayover): 2025 saw record air arrivals (855,994) and 592 cruise calls (+15% YoY) — travel is the prime vertical and Princess Juliana Airport / Maho Beach 'airplane beach' is a global draw.
4. Apple-led and high-iOS (~44%), and StatCounter data reads DESKTOP-leaning (~56%) — unusual for Tier-3, driven by the wealthy, US-oriented base.
5. Individual social 'creators' are few and micro; brand/event handles dominate (SXM Festival ~103K IG, WE ARE SXM ~18K, SXM Carnival ~23K) — the notable people are cultural figures (de Weever, Sekou, Jack), the cricketer Keacy Carty, and politicians.
6. Online iGaming licensing is Curaçao's business, NOT SX's — Sint Maarten's gambling is land-based casinos; crypto is currently unregulated with CBCS VASP rules only pending