Between 2011 and 2021, the average annual salary on Bonaire increased from approximately 20,900 to around 25,800 U.S. dollars. This is an increase of roughly five thousand dollars compared to 2011, but still significantly lower than the average salary in the entire
Caribbean Netherlands, which amounted to roughly 27,300 dollars in 2021.
 Salaries on Sint Eustatius the highest  
Together with Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bonaire forms the Caribbean Netherlands, the three overseas territories that are special municipalities of the Netherlands (as opposed to Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten, who have an autonomous status alongside the Netherlands). Of the three islands,
Sint Eustatius had the highest average salary in 2020, at just over 33.9 thousand U.S. dollars. The average salary on
Saba was significantly lower than Sint Eustatius’ average at roughly 31.4 thousand USD. It was however still considerably higher than Bonaire’s average of 25.5 thousand USD.  
 Comparison with the Netherlands  
The average salary on Bonaire was not just lower than on either Sint Eustatius or Saba, it was also lower than the average salary in the Netherlands. In 2020, the
average annual salary in the Netherlands reached over 37,200 euros.