Economy — Aruba
GDP, employment, industries, public finance, and currency.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Economy at a glance
GDP, employment, industries, public finance, and currency. Key figure for Aruba: Tourism, petroleum bunkering, hospitality, and financial and business services are the mainstays of the small open Aruban economy. Tourism accounts for a majority of economic activity; as of 2017, over 2 million tourists visited Aruba annually, with the large majority (80-85%) of those from the US. The rapid growth o…
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Economic overview
- Economic Overview
Tourism, petroleum bunkering, hospitality, and financial and business services are the mainstays of the small open Aruban economy.
Tourism accounts for a majority of economic activity; as of 2017, over 2 million tourists visited Aruba annually, with the large majority (80-85%) of those from the US.
The rapid growth of the tourism sector has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities.
Construction continues to boom, especially in the hospitality sector.
Aruba is heavily dependent on imports and is making efforts to expand exports to improve its trade balance.
Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with the US, the Netherlands, and Panama being the major suppliers.
In 2016, Citgo Petroleum Corporation, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela SA, and the Government of Aruba signed an agreement to restart Valero Energy Corp.'s former 235,000-b/d refinery.
Tourism and related industries have continued to grow, and the Aruban Government is working to attract more diverse industries.
Aruba's banking sector continues to be a strong sector; unemployment has significantly decreased.
- Industries
Tourism, petroleum transshipment facilities, banking
- GDP - per capita (PPP)
$25,300.00 (USD)
- GDP - real growth rate
2.4%
GDP & growth
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product (PPP)
$4,158,000,000 (USD)
- GDP Per Capita
$25,300.00 (USD)
- GDP - real growth rate
2.4%
- GDP - official exchange rate
$2,516,000,000 (USD)
- GDP - composition, by end use
- Household Consumption: 60.3%
- Government Consumption: 26.2%
- Investment in Fixed Capital: 22.3%
- Investment in Inventories: 0%
- Exports of Goods and Services: 70.2%
- Imports of Goods and Services: -79%
- GDP by Sector- agriculture
0.4%
- GDP by Sector- Industry
33.3%
- GDP by Sector- services
66.3%
Prices & money
- Inflation Rate
-0.8%
- Exchange Rate per US Dollar
1.79
- Currency Name and Code
Aruban guilders/florins
- Fiscal Year
Calendar Year
- Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
9%
Employment & labor
- Labor Force
51,610
- Unemployment Rate
6.9%
- Major Industries
Tourism, petroleum transshipment facilities, banking
- Agriculture Products
- Aloes
- livestock
- fish
Labor notes
- Labor Force by Occupation - note
Most employment is in wholesale and retail trade, followed by hotels and restaurants
Public finance
- Annual Budget
$696,500,000 (USD)
- Public Debt (% of GDP)
67%
- Budget Surplus or Deficit - percent of GDP
-2.2%
- Taxes and other revenues - percent of GDP
27.7%
