Map of Barbados | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. African slaves 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 complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.


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

Geographic coordinates: 13 10 N, 59 32 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 430 km²
Land: 430 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 202
Comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 97 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Elevation
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

Natural resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use
Agricultural land: 32.6% (2016 est.)
Forest: 19.4% (2016 est.)
Other: 48% (2016 est.)

Irrigated land: 50 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Geography
Note: easternmost Caribbean island


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Population
Distribution: most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one-third live in urban areas: 293,131 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 180
Growth rate: 0.26% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 176
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
Adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

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

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

Religions: 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.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.8% (male 26,084 /female 26,090)
15-24 years: 12.53% (male 18,236 /female 18,479)
25-54 years: 43.69% (male 63,829 /female 64,249)
55-64 years: 13.62% (male 18,888 /female 21,043)
65 years and over: 12.36% (male 14,705 /female 21,528) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.4 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 29.1 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 21.3 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 4.7 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 38.9 years (2018 est.)
Male: 37.8 years
Female: 40.1 years
Rank: 56

Population growth rate: 0.26% (2018 est.)
Rank: 176

Birth rate: 11.6 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 169

Death rate: 8.6 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 73

Net migration rate: -0.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 114

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 31.2% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.2% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 89,000 BRIDGETOWN (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 10 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 11.1 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 8.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 134

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.7 years (2018 est.)
Male: 73.3 years
Female: 78.1 years
Rank: 103

Total fertility rate: 1.68 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 175

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 59.2% (2012)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.3% of population
Rural: 0.3% of population
Total: 0.3% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure: 7% (2016)

Physicians density: 2.49 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 5.8 beds/1000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 3.8% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 3.8% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 3.8% of population (2015 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.5% (2018 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 30
People living with hivaids: 3,000 (2018 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 130
Deaths note: <100 (2018 est.)

Major infectious diseases: note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 23.1% (2016)
Rank: 67

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.5% (2012)
Rank: 92

Education expenditures: 4.7% of GDP (2017)
Rank: 76

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.6%
Male: 99.6%
Female: 99.6% (2014)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 17 years (2011)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
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 islands bearded fig trees or to the alleged beards of the native Carib inhabitants

Government type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital
Name: Bridgetown
Geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): 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

Administrative divisions: 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

Dependent areas

Independence: 30 November 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Constitution
History: adopted 22 November 1966, effective 30 November 1966
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 2010 (2018)

Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent only: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sandra MASON (since 8 January 2018)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:: note: tradition dictates that the 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

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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 governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister and opposition leader of Parliament; other justices appointed by the governor general 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 governor general appointees recommended by the prime minister; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 65
Subordinate courts: Magistrates Courts

Political parties and leaders: Bajan Free Party [Alex MITCHELL]Barbados Integrity Movement [Neil HOLDER]Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Freundel STUART]People’s Democratic Congress [Mark ADAMSON]People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]Solutions Barbados [Grenville PHILLIPS II]United Progressive Party or UPP [Lynette EASTMOND]

International organization participation: ACP, 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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 939-9,200
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 332-7,467
In the us consulate: Miami, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Linda S. TAGLIALATELA (since 1 February 2016) note - also accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
From the us telephone: [1] (246) 227-4,000
From the us embassy: Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14,006, Barbados, W.I.
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11,000; (Department Name) Unit 3,120, DPO AA 34,055
From the us FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179

Flag description: 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)

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

National anthem
Name: The National Anthem of Barbados
Lyricsmusic: Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS: note: adopted 1966; the anthem is also known as 'In Plenty and In Time of Need'

National heritage


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Economy overview: Barbados is the wealthiest and one of the most developed countries in the Eastern Caribbean and enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region. Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, in recent years the economy has diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners, boosted by being in the same time zone as eastern US financial centers and by a relatively highly educated workforce. Following the 2008-09 recession, external vulnerabilities such as fluctuations in international oil prices have hurt economic growth, raised Barbados' already high public debt to GDP ratio - which stood at 105% of GDP in 2016 - and cut into its international reserves.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 178

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 199

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 95

Gross national saving:
Rank: 171

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 84.2% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 13.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 17.6% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 31.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -47% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.5% (2017 est.)
Industry: 9.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 88.7% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (2017 est.)
Rank: 119

Labor force: 144,000 (2017 est.)
Rank: 176
By occupation agriculture: 10%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 75% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 141

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 1.466 billion
Note: (2013 est.) (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 1.664 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 155

Taxes and other revenues: 29.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 82

Public debt:
Rank: 3

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 164

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 47

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 107

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 128

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 135

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 124

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 87

Current account balance:
Rank: 96

Exports:
Rank: 176
Partners: US 38%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.2%, Guyana 5.5%, Jamaica 5%, China 4.8%, St. Lucia 4.6% (2017)
Commodities: manufactures, sugar, molasses, rum, other foodstuffs and beverages, chemicals, electrical components

Imports:
Rank: 174
Commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Partners: US 38.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.6%, China 7.1%, UK 4.7% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 169

Debt external:
Rank: 136

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 1.01 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 150
Consumption: 990 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 155
Exports: 0 kWh (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 104
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 125
Installed generating capacity: 269,000 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 162
Generation sources fossil fuels: 93% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 50
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 46
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 157
Generation sources other renewable sources: 7% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 91

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 90
Crude oil exports: 674 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 77
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 94
Crude oil proven reserves: 2.534 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 94

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 117
Products consumption: 11,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 159
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 129
Products imports: 10,630 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 147

Natural gas
Production: 14.16 million m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 91
Consumption: 19.82 million m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 113
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 66
Imports: 5.653 million m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 78
Proven reserves: 141.6 million m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 102

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.76 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 160

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 139,645
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 133
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 337,791
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 116 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 177

Telephone system
General assessment: island-wide automatic telephone system; telecom sector across the Caribbean region remains one of the key growth areas; numerous competitors licensed, but small and localized (2018)
Domestic: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 48 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density about 116 per 100 persons (2018)
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)

Broadcast media: 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

Internet
Country code: .bb
Users total: 231,883
Users percent of population: 79.5% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 167

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 89,340
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 31 (2017 est.)
Rank: 122


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces: Royal Barbados Defense Force: The Barbados Regiment, The Barbados Coast Guard (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service, or earlier with parental consent; no conscription (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 8P (2016)

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 213
With paved runways total: 1 (2019)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1

Heliports

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

Railways

Roadways
Total: 1700 km (2015)
Paved: 1700 km (2015)
Rank: 169

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 121
By type: bulk carrier 21, general cargo 82, other 18 (2018)
Rank: 76

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Bridgetown


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Disputes international: Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits Venezuela to extend its Economic Exclusion Zone/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center