According to the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Fact Book, the Cayman Islands has the fourth highest net migration rate in the world
The ranking, which looks at the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons based on midyear population, has estimated the net migration rate of Cayman is 13.8 migrants per one thousand people in the population. This means that there are more people entering than leaving Cayman by a significant amount. Further substantiating these findings, a July 2019 article in Business Insider reveals that Cayman’s population growth has been the 15th highest in the world since 1950.
At first glance, the growth has had many positive attributes helping as it has to contribute to Cayman’s booming economy and high standard of living. But such high population growth will of course have its disadvantages. Given its small land mass and limited natural and other resources, any increase in population needs to be closely managed. The island produces 132.28 million pounds of municipal solid waste per year, making it the fifth largest per capita producer of garbage in the world and recent reports have shown a 20% increase in residential rental rates in the last twelve months. The number of cars has risen creating issues with traffic congestion, parking and pollution. The impact of this growth is also having an effect on the natural environment as building and construction boom and the impact of human habitation spreads. Calls are being made to ensure any population growth can be managed sustainably to balance its benefits.
