- Foreign Born Percentage Note
- As of 2011 Census; represents first-generation migrants
Good to know
Good to Know
- Migration has become Curaçao's primary driver of population growth as natural increase declines; integration policy has not kept pace with this demographic shift
- Willemstad concentrates virtually all commercial and civic operations on the island; administrative heart of the country
- Financial services represent historically deep roots in the economy dating to WWII when Dutch companies fled Nazi-occupied Europe; Curaçao remains a tax-efficient jurisdiction adhering to OECD standards
- Despite relatively small local startup ecosystem, government actively pursues foreign tech investment through the Open Arms policy and has introduced special digital nomad programs
- Currency switched from Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) to Caribbean guilder (pegged 1:1, equal value for 2011 Census dates referenced) on March 31, 2025; guilder is pegged to USD at 1.79 to 1
Notable Nationalities
Curacaoan
- Percentage
- 75.4
Dutch
- Percentage
- 6
Dominican
- Percentage
- 3.6
Colombian
- Percentage
- 3
Haitian
- Percentage
- 1.2
Surinamese
- Percentage
- 1.2
Venezuelan
- Percentage
- 1.1
Business And Tech Sectors
- Government Initiatives
- Open Arms policy with focus on attracting information technology companies and digital nomads
- Financial Services Presence
- Hub for offshore financial services; Dutch Caribbean Securities Exchange located in Willemstad; Central Bank of Curaçao & Sint Maarten (est. 1828, oldest central bank in Western Hemisphere)
- Infrastructure Note
- Tier IV data center; among best Internet speed and reliability in Western Hemisphere
Major Companies
Schlumberger
- Sector
- Oil field services (world's largest oil field services company)
- Status
- Incorporated in Willemstad
Primary Sectors
- International financial services
- Tourism
- Shipping and international trade
- Oil refining (currently inactive; 2019-present)
- Port services and free trade zone
Tech Startup Ecosystem
- Funding
- Minimal venture capital activity documented
- Ranking
- 1025 globally
- Recent Growth
- Declined 12.2% in 2025
- Startup Count
- 10
Foreign Born Percentage
24
Notable Nationalities Note
2011 Census data; Colombian, Haitian and Jamaican immigration has increased since 2001
Total Population Willemstad
- Estimate
- ~140,000
- Context
- Accounts for approximately 90% of Curaçao's national population of ~158,000 (2026)
Foreign Born Percentage Note
As of 2011 Census; represents first-generation migrants
Native Population Percentage
57
Second Generation Migrants Percentage
18
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Willemstad
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.