Economist McCarthy Marie has strongly reiterated his long-standing concerns about Dominica’s demographic trajectory and its implications for trade and economic sustainability. Speaking at a recent public discussion hosted by the Dominica Business Forum (DBF), on the theme “Complexity of Trade, and Doing Business in Dominica,” Marie stressed that the country’s shrinking and aging population poses a fundamental threat to its economic viability.
For over two decades, Marie has been steadfast in calling for national focus on population decline, warning that it poses a serious threat to Dominica’s long-term development.
“No children and no youth. We have a fundamental problem,” Marie declared, citing 2022 statistics that showed 777 deaths and only 658 births—a net population decline of 119. With Dominica’s population hovering around 67,000, Marie argued that the economy cannot thrive without a robust and active human base.
“The economy is not a thing that is different from us. The economy is what we do,” he said, warning that without people to produce and consume, economic activity will spiral downward.
Marie also challenged Dominica’s approach to trade, urging a shift away from volume-based, low-cost production.
“We cannot compete with anybody by selling anything cheaper than them at volume,” he said, pointing to Dominica’s limited capacity to mass-produce goods. Instead, he advocated for a strategy focused on high-value, niche products—items that carry perceived quality and command premium prices. Drawing comparisons to Fiji’s global success with bottled water, Marie suggested Dominica could similarly brand and market select goods for high-end markets.
He illustrated the challenges of regional competition with an anecdote about yam exports: “We are selling boxes of yam. Therefore, we are selling a small amount of yam.”
Marie noted that Dominica’s agricultural exports struggle to compete with cheaper imports – as was the case with bananas – from countries like Costa Rica, and that without strategic branding and market targeting, local producers remain trapped in low-volume trade.
DBF President Daryl Bobb echoed the urgency of open dialogue and civic engagement.
“There is a need for us to come together and say what is on our mind,” Bobb said, urging citizens to overcome their fear of speaking out. He emphasized that national development hinges on collective participation and transparency, noting that via a message to the DBF on the day of the meeting, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit expressed interest in hearing directly from the business community. However, Bobb explained that Mr. Skerrit was unable to attend due to travel commitments. Minister for Trade, Dr. Vince Henderson, was invited but did not attend.
“Let us come out and speak, man. Stop holding back on yourself,” Bobb implored, stressing the importance of forums like DBF’s in shaping policy and economic direction.
The picture that was generally painted at the DBF forum was one of a nation at a crossroads where demographic decline, trade limitations, and civic reluctance converge to challenge Dominica’s future. Their call to action urges Dominica to rethink what it produces, how it competes, and to empower people to speak up to shape the nation’s future.
When you live in a small island that doesn’t have any manufacturing industries that doesn’t produce a lot of the things you need to import yet still in order to import something you essentially buy the items TWICE due to exorbitant duties and shipping costs (automotive parts, raw materials for local entrepreneurs to build their own products to sell but the materials cost more than buying an actual completed product from duties alone, the list goes on) yet we import things that we do produce able to be sold at cheaper rates at supermarkets etc whilst those very things we produce are costly for our local producers to sell at competitive prices again due to the costs of raw material needed to produce these things..come on.
In order to thrive you must first be able to support the industries and the people who can allow the country to thrive the small businesses with larger business potential, the people who reside here under these high cost of living, make life easier for population >
Boy DNO you seem to accept population of Dominica can be determined by birth and death.What you fail to understand is,most Dominican women thousands of them do not give birth in Dominica.They give birth in foreign lands and bring their children back to Dominica.That is so with Skerrit and Linton wife.Not only that there are thousands of people living in Dominica who were not born in Dominica.POPULATION is people LIVING in a country,no who born and who died,Dominica have a large foreign POPULATION.That is what DNO do not want the world to know.If 20 people born in Dominica and 10 die,the population is 10 but if 100 come in from Haiti and start living in Dominica the population is 120 and if 10 Spanish 5 Africans,2 St.Lucians 5 Chinese come the population will grow.That is what is happening in Dominica,but DNO will use an excuse NOT to post the TRUTH.There are thousands of people with Dominican passports(not CBI) because of their parents.They were not born or lived in Dominica.FACT.DNO.
What are you embellishing, it’s a business forum where people were invited to speak, hence this report on what transpired. That’s a big rosey chip you’re carrying on that shoulder 😳
Boy when we talk about population,we talk about people living in Dominica.Our last census was conducted in 2011,since then we have hundreds of Haitians,Spanish and Chinese,we have St.Lucians,Grenadians,Barbadians,french,Jamaicans people all over LIVING in Dominica.That is called POPULATION,it is safe to say that,there are about 90,000 people living in Dominica.Roseau doe even have place to part and more and more people buying vehicles and you telling me people leaving.So dey buying de vehicles and den they leaving?People leaving how many dat coming?My immediate family have 4(kat) Dominican American who have returned to Dominica to LIVE and there hundreds in that position.Marie is using birth and death to determine population he is saying if Dominica have 90 people 10 born and 20 die the population is 80 forgetting there are 500 who came to live during that period.
What this forum is trying to achieve, lol, are we serious, is this forum really addressing the economic problem in Dominica. Does a Population crisis threaten Dominica’s economic future. Does Political rhetoric from Bob really the antidote for a better economic future for Dominica. It is true, we cannot compete with anybody by selling anything cheaper than them at volume, focus on high-value, niche products, excellent analysis that is what Managing Director of Benjo’s Sea moss, need to understand before asking the Government for $20 million. The Government non presence at the forum should be overshadowed by their actions and things they are doing and have done.
A bright economic future for Dominica is not solely dependent on
on a select few, and Government, but all Dominicans being conscious of their purchasing power of goods and services, that is the economic engine. Then there is vision from our Leaders, we have seen what lack of vision by past Government has done.
Births and death does not tell us the population of Dominica.There are thousands children living in Dominica whose birth are NOT recorded in the registry..Those children were born all over the world and brought back to Dominica.There thousands born in the USA whose births are not recorded here but they are living here.Skerrit children were not born in Dominica but they are living in Dominica,same for Linton.More Dominican mothers are making children OUTSIDE of Dominica than they do in Dominica.There is NO way Marie can know the amount of people LIVING in Dominica based on the birth and death records.To know the population there must be a census,the last census was conducted in 2011 cover 2021.According to an article by Aaron O Neill of Statista,dated July 2025 the population is projected to reach 75,000 in 2025.It is PROBABLY so looking at the amount of vehicles imported into Dominica,the amount of new houses built and the increase in members at financial instiutions.
My opinion is that importing emigrants is not a solution to the country’s problem .One example many Haitians who got here are now living in the two French islands North and South of Dominica .and the population being small is migration.Pasture is greener everywhere except Dominica
” Marie stressed that the country’s shrinking and aging population poses a fundamental threat to its economic viability.“
The population is a very small issue and these technocrats know that. As small as our population is we still have more people than St Kitts, Anguilla, Tortola, St Maarten and we are not too far behind that of the USVI population of 84k, as of September 15, 2025.
Our biggest problem is the Corruptwealth of this one man administration that keeps running good citizens and businesses like Brisbane, Ross University, Americans and others out as well as other foreign companies and citizens that feel unwelcome in this Corruptwealth of Dominica today.
The current Corruptwealth of Dominica is only conducive to corrupt and wanted criminals like Aliriza Monfared and others who have no interest in developing the country except to use their CBI passport to run from justice. That’s our main problem that our technocrats are afraid to address so the blame it on population
What are the facts mitigating against the population growth in Dominica. Just imagine, this is a country where the death rate is greater than the birth rate.
Here are some of the irrefutable facts causing the depopulation of this once vibrant oasis among other neighboring islands.
1. Astronomically high unemployment -u attractiveness
2. Unusual high mortality rate due to an overwhelming number of cases of NCDs
3.Hopelessness particularly among the young adults resulting in mass out-migration
4. Rapidly escalating crime rate
Roosevelt and his hangers-on have been nothing but a devastating hurricane to the Dominican people.
5.
@Ibo France, at what period in the history of Dominica was it this vibrant oasis among the other islands? We were slow to develop our tourism industry while other islands like Antigua and St. Lucia were making big investments in tourism. Like you are doing now we only talked about economic diversification and did nothing. Dominicans migrating has been happening long before independence, but again your default is always blame Skeritt. People like you are so blind that you all cannot see the development presently taking place in Dominica.
Ibo! Gabe! You have surrendered your seat to our dear lady and resign yourself to Maryland. Come down and do your work. Time is running out.
Dominica does not necessarily need a larger population, but – like the products the writer suggests – a niche population that recognises the island’s uniqueness and safeguards it against predators.