Demographic transition and population aging with Caribbean nation states

This paper considers the role which the demographic parameters of fertility, mortality and migration will play on the pace and concentration of aging within the context of a developing region. This paper examines the demographic transition and analyzes historic and projected data for the development patterns of the anglophone nation states of the Caribbean. Trends in fertility, mortality, and migration are contrasted among the larger (Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad/Tobago), mid-sized (Bahamas, Barbados, Belize) and smaller (Antigua/Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts/Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent/Grenadines) states. The paper then goes on to consider shifts in the structure of population at older ages due to the decline in fertility and mortality and points to some of the policy considerations that these relatively small and newly independent states will need to deal with during the next several decades.