Barbados

Barbados was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Enslaved Africans worked the sugar plantations established on the island, which initially dominated the Caribbean sugar industry. By 1720, Barbados was no longer a dominant force within the sugar industry, having been surpassed by the Leeward Islands and Jamaica. Slavery was abolished in 1834. The Barbadian economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. Barbados became a republic in 2021, with the former Governor-General Sandra MASON elected as the first president.

land

430 sq km

total

430 sq km

water

0 sq km

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

97 km

highest point

Mount Hillaby 336 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

13 10 N, 59 32 W

easternmost Caribbean island

50 sq km (2012)

total

0 km

agricultural land

32.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 25.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 4.7% (2018 est.)

forest

19.4% (2018 est.)

other

48% (2018 est.)

Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Central America and the Caribbean

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

petroleum, fish, natural gas

most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one-third live in urban areas

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

0-14 years

16.6% (male 25,273/female 25,284)

15-64 years

67% (male 100,328/female 103,536)

65 years and over

16.3% (2024 est.) (male 20,986/female 28,732)

beer

3.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

4.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

9.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

1.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

10.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

59.2% (2012)

7.2% of GDP (2020)

57.1% (2023 est.)

8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

23.4

potential support ratio

4.3 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

49

youth dependency ratio

25.6

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 98.8% of population

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 2% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

6.5% of GDP (2021 est.)

African descent 92.4%, mixed 3.1%, White 2.7%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.2%, unspecified 0.3% (2010 est.)

0.85 (2024 est.)

6 beds/1,000 population (2017)

female

8.1 deaths/1,000 live births

male

11.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total

9.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

English (official), Bajan (English-based creole language, widely spoken in informal settings)

female

81.8 years

male

76.3 years

total population

79 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.6% (2014)

male

99.6%

total population

99.6%

89,000 BRIDGETOWN (capital) (2018)

39 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

42.5 years

male

40.3 years

total

41.4 years (2024 est.)

adjective

Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

noun

Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

23.1% (2016)

2.49 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

female

157,552 (2024 est.)

male

146,587

total

304,139

most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one-third live in urban areas

0.23% (2024 est.)

Protestant 66.4% (includes Anglican 23.9%, other Pentecostal 19.5%, Adventist 5.9%, Methodist 4.2%, Wesleyan 3.4%, Nazarene 3.2%, Church of God 2.4%, Baptist 1.8%, Moravian 1.2%, other Protestant 0.9%), Roman Catholic 3.8%, other Christian 5.4% (includes Jehovah's Witness 2.0%, other 3.4%), Rastafarian 1%, other 1.5%, none 20.6%, unspecified 1.2% (2010 est.)

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: NA

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: NA

0-14 years

1 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.73 male(s)/female

at birth

1.01 male(s)/female

total population

0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

1.9% (2020 est.)

male

15% (2020 est.)

total

8.5% (2020 est.)

1.7 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

0.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

31.4% of total population (2023)

11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas

etymology

named after a bridge constructed over the swampy area (known as the Careenage) around the Constitution River that flows through the center of Bridgetown

geographic coordinates

13 06 N, 59 37 W

name

Bridgetown

time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

citizenship by birth

yes

citizenship by descent only

yes

dual citizenship recognized

yes

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

amendments

proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments to constitutional sections such as citizenship, fundamental rights and freedoms, and the organization and authorities of the branches of government requires two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses of Parliament; passage of other amendments only requires a majority vote of both houses; amended several times, last in 2021

history

adopted 22 November 1966, effective 30 November 1966; Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2021 establishes Barbados as a republic and revokes the earlier Order in Council

note

note: following the transition to a republic in November 2021, the Government of Barbados in February 2022 began the process of establishing a constitution commission to review a new draft constitution

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Barbados

etymology

the name derives from the Portuguese "as barbadas," which means "the bearded ones" and can refer either to the long, hanging roots of the island's bearded fig trees or to the alleged beards of the indigenous Carib inhabitants

chief of mission

Ambassador Roger F. NYHUS (since 19 January 2024) note - also accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

email address and website

bridgetownpublicaffairs@state.govhttps://bb.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Wildey Business Park, St. Michael BB 14006, Barbados, W.I.

FAX

(246) 431-0179

mailing address

3120 Bridgetown Place, Washington DC  20521-3120

telephone

(246) 227-4000

chancery

2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Victor Anthony FERNANDES (since 18 September 2024)

consulate(s) general

Miami, New York

email address and website

washington@foreign.gov.bbhttps://www.foreign.gov.bb/embassies-high-commissions-and-permanent-missions/

FAX

[1] (202) 332-7467

telephone

[1] (202) 939-9200

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

chief of state

President Sandra MASON (since 30 November 2021)

election results

Sandra MASON elected as first president on 20 October 2021

elections/appointments

president elected by an electoral college of both Houses of Parliament for a 4-year renewable term; election last held on 20 October 2021 (next to be held by January 2027); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

head of government

Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018)

three equal vertical bands of ultramarine blue (hoist side), gold, and ultramarine blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the band colors represent the blue of the sea and sky and the gold of the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)

parliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm

30 November 1966 (from the UK)

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

ACP, ACS, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

highest court(s)

Supreme Court (consists of the High Court with 8 justices) and the Court of Appeal (consists of the High Court chief justice and president of the court and 4 justices; note - in 2005, Barbados acceded to the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal, replacing that of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister and opposition leader of Parliament; other justices appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, a 5-member independent body consisting of the Supreme Court chief justice, the commission head, and presidential appointees recommended by the prime minister; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 65

subordinate courts

Magistrates' Courts

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

description

bicameral Parliament consists of:Senate (21 seats statutory - 21 current; members appointed by the president - 12 on the advice of the prime minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at the discretion of the president; members serve 5-year terms) House of Assembly (30 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)

election results

Senate - appointed - BLP 12, independent 9; composition - men 13, women 8, percentage women 38.1%House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - BLP 69%, DLP 26.5%, other 4.5%; seats by party - BLP 30; composition - men 22, women 8, percentage women 26.7%; note - total Parliament percentage women 32.7%

elections

Senate - last appointments on 4 February 2022 (next appointments in February 2027)House of Assembly - last held on 19 January 2022 (next to be held in January 2027)

note

note: tradition dictates that the next election is held within 5 years of the last election, but constitutionally it is 5 years from the first seating of Parliament plus a 90-day grace period

lyrics/music

Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS

name

"The National Anthem of Barbados"

note

note: adopted 1966; the anthem is also known as "In Plenty and In Time of Need"

selected World Heritage Site locales

Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison

total World Heritage Sites

1 (cultural)

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Neptune's trident, pelican, Red Bird of Paradise flower (also known as Pride of Barbados); national colors: blue, yellow, black

Alliance Party for Progress or APPBarbados Labor Party or BLPDemocratic Labor Party or DLP

18 years of age; universal

sugarcane, chicken, vegetables, milk, eggs, sweet potatoes, pork, coconuts, cantaloupes/melons, tropical fruits (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

expenditures

$1.664 billion (2015 est.)

note

note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

revenues

$1.269 billion (2015 est.)

Moody's rating

Caa1 (2019)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Standard & Poors rating

B- (2019)

Current account balance 2015

-$98.732 million (2015 est.)

Current account balance 2016

-$452.39 million (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

-$296.396 million (2017 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

high-income Eastern Caribbean economy; high standard of living among regional peers; key tourism, construction, and financial sectors driving recent GDP growth; declining but still very high public debt leading to IMF support programs; susceptible to natural disasters and reliance on import partners

Currency

Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

2 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

2 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

2 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

2 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

2 (2023 est.)

note

note: the Barbadian dollar is pegged to the US dollar

Exports 2015

$2.358 billion (2015 est.)

Exports 2016

$2.41 billion (2016 est.)

Exports 2017

$2.228 billion (2017 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

liquor, packaged medicine, ships, paper labels, baked goods (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

US 23%, Jamaica 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Guyana 8%, Poland 6% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

34.3% (2022 est.)

government consumption

11.8% (2022 est.)

household consumption

75.6% (2022 est.)

imports of goods and services

-42.2% (2022 est.)

investment in fixed capital

16.5% (2022 est.)

investment in inventories

0.2% (2022 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

1.4% (2023 est.)

industry

13.1% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

72.3% (2023 est.)

$6.394 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Imports 2016

$2.238 billion (2016 est.)

Imports 2017

$2.213 billion (2017 est.)

Imports 2021

$2.12 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, plastic products, cars, railway cargo containers, packaged medicine (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

US 43%, China 8%, Trinidad and Tobago 7%, UK 5%, Netherlands 3% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

3.64% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018

3.67% (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

4.1% (2019 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

9.79% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

146,000 (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

note

note: central government debt as a % of GDP

Public debt 2016

146.46% of GDP (2016 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$4.148 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$4.708 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$4.92 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

-1.18% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

13.48% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

4.52% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$14,800 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$16,700 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$17,400 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

1.72% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

1.46% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

1.33% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020

$1.358 billion (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$1.673 billion (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$1.52 billion (2022 est.)

27.39% (of GDP) (2016 est.)

note

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

9.42% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

8.49% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

7.95% (2023 est.)

female

20.3% (2023 est.)

male

28.9% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

24.9% (2023 est.)

from consumed natural gas

31,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

1.316 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

1.347 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

imports

100 metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption

1.02 billion kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

340,000 kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

65.871 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

biomass and waste

0.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

92.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

7.7% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

68.271 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

consumption

15.813 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports

6.054 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

production

9.759 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves

113.267 million cubic meters (2021 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

1.978 million barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

9,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

total petroleum production

2,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

45 (2020 est.)

total

128,000 (2020 est.)

government-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) operates the lone terrestrial TV station; CBC also operates a multi-channel cable TV subscription service; roughly a dozen radio stations, consisting of a CBC-operated network operating alongside privately owned radio stations (2019)

.bb

percent of population

86% (2021 est.)

total

240,800 (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line teledensity of roughly 43 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density about 113 per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

the telecom sector has seen a decline in subscriber numbers (particularly for prepaid mobile services the mainstay of short term visitors) and revenue; fixed and mobile broadband services are two areas that have benefited from the crisis as employees and students have resorted to working from home; one area of the telecom market that is not prepared for growth is 5G mobile; governments, regulators, and even the mobile network operators have shown that they have not been investing in 5G opportunities at the present time; network expansion and enhancements remain concentrated around improving LTE coverage (2021)

international

country code - 1-246; landing points for the ECFS and Southern Caribbean Fiber submarine cable with links to 15 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad and Puerto Ricco; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia (2019)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

43 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

121,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

115 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

323,000 (2022 est.)

2 (2024)

8P

1 (2024)

by type

bulk carrier 90, general cargo 149, oil tanker 5, other 28

total

272 (2023)

33 km gas, 64 km oil, 6 km refined products (2013)

key ports

Bridgetown

ports with oil terminals

1

small

1

total ports

1 (2024)

paved

1,700 km (2015)

total

1,700 km

formed in 1979, the Barbados Defense Force (BDF) is responsible for protecting national security, but it may also be called up to maintain internal public order in times of crisis, emergency, or other specific needs, such as special joint patrols with the police; it also provides humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations both domestically and regionally under the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS); other duties include assisting with national development, such as through the training of the country's youth with the units of the Barbados Cadet Corps Barbados has been a member of the RSS since its creation in 1982; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security; the RSS is headquartered in Barbados (2024)

Barbados Defense Force (BDF): The Barbados Regiment, The Barbados Coast Guard (2024)

note

note 1: the BDF also has a Youth Development Wing, which is comprised of the Barbados Cadet Corps and the Barbados Defense Force Sports Program; the Barbados Cadet Corps is a national youth organization based in the country's school system and open to all school children 11-18 years of age note 2: authority over the BDF is shared between the president and prime minister, with the president overseeing strategic direction and the prime minister responsible for operational leadershipnote 3: the Barbados Police Service (TBPS) is the national police force; it is modeled after London's Metropolitan Police Service and divided into three territorial divisions

approximately 600 active personnel (2023)

the BDF's major equipment inventory is comprised mostly of donated items from China, the Netherlands, and the US  (2024)

Military Expenditures 2019

0.8% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

0.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

0.9% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

0.8% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

0.7% of GDP (2023 est.)

voluntary service only (men and women); 17 years, 9 months to 17 years, 11 months with letter of consent from a parent or guardian, or be in the age range of 18-25 years (18-30 for the Reserves) at the start of recruit training; citizens of Barbados by descent or naturalization (2024)

a transit point for cocaine and marijuana destined for North America, Europe, and elsewhere in the Caribbean; some local demand for cocaine and some use of synthetic drugs

carbon dioxide emissions

1.28 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

2.35 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

9.79 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

agricultural land

32.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 25.6% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 4.7% (2018 est.)

forest

19.4% (2018 est.)

other

48% (2018 est.)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)

80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

5 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

0.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

31.4% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

174,815 tons (2011 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

15,733 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

9% (2015 est.)