Statistical information Barbados 1992

Barbados in the World
top of pageBackground: The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Its economy remained heavily dependent on sugar rum and molasses production through most of the 20th century. Tourism and manufacturing are gaining in economic importance.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaTotal: 430 km²
Land: 430 km²
Comparative: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 97 km
Maritime claimsExclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: none
Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
ElevationNatural resources: crude oil, fishing, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 77%; permanent crops: 0%; meadows and pastures 9%; forest and woodland 0%; other 14%
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation: 254,934 (July 1992), growth rate 0.1% (1992)
Nationality: noun - Barbadian(s; adjective - Barbadian
Ethnic groups: African 80%, mixed 16%, European 4%
Languages: English
Religions: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%; none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 16 births/1000 population (1992)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1992)
Net migration rate: 6 migrants/1000 population (1992)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: subject to hurricanes (especially June to October)
Current issues note: easternmost Caribbean island
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1992)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 99% (male 99%, female 99%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Bridgetown
Administrative divisions:
11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew,
Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint
Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - there may be a new city of Bridgetown
Dependent areasIndependence: 30 November 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution: 30 November 1966
Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal at age 18
House of Assembly: last held 22 January 1991 (next to be held by January 1996); results - DLP 49.8%; seats - (28 total) DLP 18, BLP 10
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation:
ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:Ambassador Dr. Rudi WEBSTER; Chancery at 2,144
Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008; telephone (202) 939-9,200 through 9,202; there is a Barbadian Consulate General in New York and a Consulate in
Los Angeles
US:Ambassador G. Philip HUGHES; Embassy at Canadian Imperial Bank of
Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (mailing address is P. O. Box 302, Box B, FPO AA 34,054); telephone (809) 436-4,950 through 4,957; FAX (809) 429-5,246
Diplomatic representationFlag description
: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview:
A per capita income of $6,500 gives Barbados one of the highest standards of living of all the small island states of the eastern
Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation of sugarcane and related activities. In recent years, however, the economy has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist industry is now a major employer of the labor force and a primary source of foreign exchange.
The economy slowed in 1990-91, however, and Bridgetown's declining hard currency reserves and inability to finance its deficits have caused it to adopt an austere economic reform program.
GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $1.7 billion, per capita $6,500; real growth rate--3.1% (1990)
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: accounts for 10% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane; other crops - vegetables and cotton; not self-sufficient in food
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Industrial production growth rate: growth rate--2.7% (1990; accounts for 14% of GDP
Labor force: 120,900 (1991); services and government 37%; commerce 22%; manufacturing and construction 22%; transportation, storage, communications, and financial institutions 9%; agriculture 8%; utilities 2% (1985 est.)
Organized labor: 32% of labor force
Unemployment rate: 18% (1991)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $514 million; expenditures $615 million (FY91-92)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $210.6 million (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodoties: sugar and molasses, chemicals, electrical components, clothing, rum, machinery and transport equipment
Partners: CARICOM 30%, US 20%, UK 20%
Imports: $704 million (c.i.f., 1990)
Commodoties: foodstuffs, consumer durables, raw materials, machinery, crude oil, construction materials, chemicals
Partners: US 35%, CARICOM 13%, UK 12%, Japan 6%, Canada 8%, Venezuela 4%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt externalStock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1 - 2.0113 (fixed rate)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 152,100 kW capacity; 539 million kWh produced, 2,117 kWh per capita (1991)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp:exchange rate conversion - $10 million, 0.7% of
GDP (1989)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
HeliportsPipelinesRailwaysRoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marine:
2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,200
GRT/7,338 DWT
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes internationalRefugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs