Agriculture, including banana produce, is the largest part of the Grenadine Island’s economy. However, tourism is also another important part of income for the islands. It has been difficult for the government to start new industries and there is a high unemployment rate of about twenty-two percent. That fact that the country is overly dependant on a single crop is the biggest hindrance to the economic growth of the Grenadine Islands. Also, tropical storms destroyed a large amount of crops in 1994 and 1995.
The development of tourism has great potential for the economic growth of the country in the next ten years. The filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies has helped the islands to gain more exposure and popularity with tourists. The recent growth has spurred on a lot of activity and construction projects that is helping tourism. One aspect of the new construction that is taking place is a new international airport that is currently being built.
The Grenadine Islands has a population of 118,149 as of 2008. The population consists of 66% Black, 6% East Indian, 19% mixed race, 2% Carib Amerindian, 4% White, and 3% other. Most of the population is people of African descent that were brought to the islands to work on plantations, and there is also a growing Chinese population. The Grenadines have a high immigration rate, but the very high unemployment rate causes population growth to become a significant problem. The official language of the Grenadines is English, but many there speak a dialect called Vincentian Creole.