The twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is on track to notch a fifth consecutive year of robust economic expansion, with official projections putting 2026 growth at 5 percent, driven by a red-hot construction sector, expanding residential development, rising consumer activity, and growing import volumes. The growth forecast was unveiled Thursday by Maurice Merchant, Director General of Communications, during the question-and-answer portion of the government’s weekly post-Cabinet press briefing. Merchant shared the outlook after being queried about the consistent upward trajectory of the country’s customs revenue collections, and he went on to detail the administration’s strong fiscal performance for the second quarter of the year.
Merchant emphasized that the nation’s improving economic results are not limited to stricter tax enforcement and higher compliance rates, noting that broad-based growth is being felt across multiple key sectors of the domestic economy. “It’s enforcement, compliance, and of course individuals are importing more into Antigua and Barbuda,” Merchant explained, adding that the country’s economy remains heavily reliant on imported goods, with rising overall economic activity pushing up demand for products from both businesses and consumers.
“Antigua and Barbuda imports everything,” Merchant said, noting that grocery chains, retail outlets, and other commercial operations are bringing in larger shipments of goods to match the growing appetite of local consumers. This confluence of trends, he argued, has set the stage for another year of strong economic expansion for the small Caribbean nation.
Beyond import growth, Merchant traced the projected 5 percent expansion to consistent momentum in the construction and residential development industries, paired with rising household disposable incomes and strengthening consumer spending. “Construction, housing, people spending more, people having more disposable income — all of that lends to a great economy,” he stated.
The brighter economic outlook has also translated into improved fiscal fortunes for the national government, Merchant confirmed. He disclosed that revenue agencies including the Customs Division and Inland Revenue Department are now generating budget surpluses, giving the current administration greater financial room to address urgent national priorities. “Government has more disposable income,” Merchant said.
As a concrete example of this new fiscal flexibility, Merchant pointed to Cabinet’s recent decision to immediately allocate EC$2.5 million to purchase a new CT scanner for the country’s main public healthcare facility, the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre. “That’s why government was able to immediately say that the EC$2.5 million needed for that CT scanner at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre should become available right away, and it’s because of surpluses that the government has at its disposal at this time to meet the needs of the people of Antigua and Barbuda,” he explained.
Earlier in the briefing, Cabinet received updated data showing that customs revenue has climbed steadily in recent years, growing from EC$392 million in 2022 to EC$402 million in 2023, EC$502 million in 2024, and a record EC$573 million in 2025. For the first half of 2026, the Customs and Excise Division pulled in EC$276.85 million, compared to EC$255.37 million collected during the same six-month period in 2025. Merchant emphasized that this consistent growth in government revenue is a clear sign of the economy’s underlying resilience, and it has strengthened the government’s ability to invest in public healthcare, infrastructure, and other core public services while still maintaining responsible, prudent fiscal management practices.