Saint Lucia has launched a nationwide survey to track cost-of-living trends, poverty levels, and household spending patterns.
The Survey of Living Conditions and Household Budgets, which runs from April 2025 to March 2026, will collect crucial data on how Saint Lucians earn, spend, and manage daily expenses.
Led by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and supported by the World Bank as part of the OECS Data for Decision Making Project, the study will play a critical role in shaping policies that impact everyday life, officials said during its launch on Tuesday.
“The information collected will help us update the poverty profile of Saint Lucia and identify vulnerable sectors of the population,” said Director of Statistics at the CSO Sean Mathurin. “Additionally, it will allow us to monitor inflationary pressures and produce more reliable CPI [Consumer Price Index] data.”
The last survey, conducted in 2016, played a vital role in updating Saint Lucia’s CPI—a key measure of inflation and cost-of-living changes. This year’s study will build on that foundation, capturing shifts in poverty levels, economic pressures, and household conditions.
Over 12 months – from April 2025 to March 2026 – 1 500 households will be surveyed, ensuring the data reflects seasonal changes in the economy, particularly in tourism-related employment and household income.
For the first time, tablet-based digital data collection will replace paper forms, increasing efficiency and accuracy.
“With digital tools, we can avoid issues like illegible handwriting and speed up data processing,” Mathurin explained. As a result of this technological upgrade, preliminary results could be available within three to four months after data collection ends.
The findings will guide policymakers, businesses, and organisations in making data-driven decisions to support economic resilience, consumer protection, and poverty reduction across Saint Lucia.
Smh at this survey bs. If you have to do a surgery to figure out the poverty level which is crystal clear in front of you then there’s nothing else to say
Allow me to summarize, in St Lucia a single parent household with three children below age 10, can comfortably survive with about 35000 annually if all standard needs are met.
If we are looking at basic with some assistance and no rent, then 24000 annually.
Do you really want to know how many are considered poor? We have poor ppl paying taxes, yet they cant even afford panadol!
No salary of any parent with small children earning less than 2500 p/m should should be taxed.
@ABC– your type of thinking was supposed to have been eradicated at the pre school level. Our education system has really failed us. This 2 min read explains a simple initiative to assess/ quantify poverty levels so better decisions could be made for our people…awah ee!