The generalization that island states are demographically more modern than continental states, and in particular that they have experienced greater fertility and mortality declines, is examined empirically for the Caribbean and the Pacific. A statistical analysis of recent Caribbean and Latin American data supports the view that island status is linked to an early demographic transition, independently of intervening, socio-economic factors, but the relationship is a modest one. The Pacific island data, however, tend to show the reverse, namely the persistence of high fertility despite favourable standards of living. One of the reasons for this contrast may be the greater importance of plantation agriculture and mass importation of labour in the Caribbean than in the Pacific.