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. Barbados became a republic on 30 November 2021, with the former Governor-General Sandra MASON elected as the first president.

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
Comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 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
Highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Natural resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use
Agricultural land: 32.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 25.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 4.7% (2018 est.)
Forest: 19.4% (2018 est.)
Other: 48% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 50 km² (2012)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 20 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 6.2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 54.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 80 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Natural hazards: infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Geography
Note: easternmost Caribbean island

Population
Distribution: most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one-third live in urban areas: 301,865 (July 2021 est.)
Growth rate: 0.28% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line: 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.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.49% (male 25,762/female 25,764)
15-24 years: 12.34% (male 18,024/female 18,330)
25-54 years: 42.69% (male 62,655/female 63,093)
55-64 years: 13.91% (male 19,533/female 21,430)
65 years and over: 13.57% (male 16,398/female 23,571) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.3
Youth dependency ratio: 25.2
Elderly dependency ratio: 25.1
Potential support ratio: 4 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 39.5 years
Male: 38.4 years
Female: 40.7 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.28% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 10.96 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 7.9 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.29 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 est.)

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 (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 0.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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, 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 22.24 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 1.28 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 2.35 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 27 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.23 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 11.84 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 8.6 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.31 years
Male: 75.54 years
Female: 81.13 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 59.2% (2012)

Drinking water source
Improved: total: 98.5% of population
Unimproved: total: 1.5% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6.6% (2018)

Physicians density: 2.48 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 6 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved: total: 99.2% of population
Unimproved: total: 0.8% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.1% (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids: 2,700 (2019 est.)
Deaths: <100 (2019 est.)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 23.1% (2016)

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

Education expenditures: 4.3% of GDP (2020)

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
Rate ages 15-24 total: 26%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 30.3%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 21.2% (2019 est.)

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 island's bearded fig trees or to the alleged beards of the native Carib inhabitants

Government type: parliamentary republic; 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

Independence: 30 November 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Constitution
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
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

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 descentonly: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Sandra MASON (since 30 November 2021)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Elections and appointments: the president is elected by an electoral college of both Houses of Parliament for a four year renewable term; election last held 20 October 2021; 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
Election results: Sandra MASON elected as first president on 20 October 2021 to take office on 30 November 2021

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
Senate (21 seats; 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)
House of Assembly (30 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last appointments on 5 June 2018 (next appointments NA)
House of Assembly - last held on 24 May 2018 (next to be held in 2023)
Election results: Senate - appointed; composition - men 16, women 5, percent of women 23.8%
House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - BLP 74.6%, DLP 22.6%, other 2.8%; seats by party - BLP 30; composition - men 24, women 6, percent of women 20%; note - total Parliament percent of women 21.6%
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 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

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 chief of mission: Ambassador Noel Anderson LYNCH (since 11 January 2019)
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 email address and website: washington@foreign.gov.bb
In the us consulate(s)general: 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 embassy: Wildey Business Park, St. Michael BB 14,006, Barbados, W.I.
From the us mailing address: 3,120 Bridgetown Place, Washington DC  20,521-3,120
From the us telephone: (246) 227-4,000
From the us fax: (246) 431-0179
From the us email address and website:

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
Lyrics and music: Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS
Note: adopted 1966; the anthem is also known as 'In Plenty and In Time of Need'

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: -0.2% (2017 est.)

2.3% (2016 est.)

2.2% (2015 est.)

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

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: sugar cane, poultry, vegetables, milk, eggs, pork, coconuts, pulses nes, sweet potatoes, tropical fruit

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

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

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

Unemployment rate: 10.1% (2017 est.)

9.9% (2016 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 26%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 30.3%
Rate ages 15-24 female: 21.2% (2019 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

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

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

Public debt: 157.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

149.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.4% (2017 est.)

1.5% (2016 est.)

Current account balance: -$189 million (2017 est.)

-$206 million (2016 est.)

Exports: $485.4 million (2017 est.)

$516.9 million (2016 est.)
Partners: US 21%, Poland 14%, Jamaica 8%, Guyana 6%,Trinidad and Tobago 6% (2019)
Commodities: rums and other hard liquor, ships, orthopedic appliances, cement, packaged medicines (2019)

Imports: $1.52 billion (2017 est.)

$1.541 billion (2016 est.)
Partners: United States 35%, Trinidad and Tobago 14%, China 9%, Netherlands 5% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, ships, cars, shipping containers, packaged medicines (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $264.5 million (31 December 2017 est.)

$341.8 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt external: $4.49 billion (2010 est.)

$668 million (2003 est.)

Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar -
Note: the Barbadian dollar is pegged to the US dollar

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 1.01 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption: 990 million kWh (2016 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2017 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 269,000 kW (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 93% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources: 7% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil exports: 674 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves: 2.534 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

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

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

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 128,043 (2019)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 44.61 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 329,326 (2019)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 114.7 (2019 est.)

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: 235,100 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 81.76% (2019 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 106,803 (2019)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 37.21 (2019 est.)

Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

0.8% of GDP (2019)

0.8% of GDP (2018)

0.9% of GDP (2017)

0.9% of GDP (2016)

Military and security forces: Barbados Defense Force: The Barbados Regiment, The Barbados Coast Guard (2021)

Military service age and obligation: Voluntary service only; 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 at the start of recruit training; citizens of Barbados by descent or naturalization (2021)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 8P

Airports
Total: 1 (2020)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2019)

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

Roadways
Total: 1,700 km (2015)
Paved: 1,700 km (2015)

Merchant marine
Total: 165
By type: bulk carrier 46, general cargo 103, other 16 (2021)

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Bridgetown

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

Illicit drugs: a transit point for cocaine and marijuana destined for North America, Europe, and elsewhere in the Caribbean