The World Bank says the region is experiencing a two-speed economic recovery, with oil-producing Guyana and Suriname recording strong growth while tourism-dependent economies face a more moderate outlook amid high energy and transportation costs.
In its October 2026 Latin America & the Caribbean Economic Update, the World Bank says the divergence is particularly evident across the Caribbean, where oil-driven expansions contrast with the more mature post-pandemic recovery of tourism-dependent economies.
Guyana's gross domestic product is projected to expand by 23.7 per cent in 2026, 18.7 per cent in 2027 and 15.3 per cent in 2028.
Suriname is forecast to grow by 3.9 per cent this year and 4.6 per cent in 2027, before accelerating to 21.5 per cent in 2028.
The outlook is considerably more moderate for several tourism-dependent Caribbean economies.
The Bahamas is projected to grow by 3 per cent in 2026, Barbados by 2 per cent, Dominica by 3 per cent and Grenada by 3.3 per cent.
Saint Lucia is forecast to grow by 1.1 per cent this year, following a contraction of 0.6 per cent in 2025.
Jamaica is also expected to contract in 2026, with GDP projected to decline by 0.8 per cent, before recovering with growth of 3.0 per cent in 2027.
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