The extreme vulnerability of the Caribbean Region was highlighted once again in 2017. Many of Caribbean Development Bank's (CDB) Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs) were affected by the hurricanes that passed through the Caribbean in September.

Notwithstanding the devastating events of 2017, there was an overall uptick in economic growth to 0.6%.

Although growth returned in 2017, the Region continues to underperform in comparison with other country groups.
Looking ahead, the Region is expected to grow by 2% in 2018, benefiting from a projected increase in global economic growth, but risks are tilted on the downside.