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.

13 10 N, 59 32 W

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid-waste disposal 

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

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

97 km

Total: 0 km

Agricultural land: 23.3% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 16.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops: 2.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture: 4.7% (2023 est.)

Forest: 14.7% (2023 est.)

Other: 62.1% (2023 est.)

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

petroleum, fish, natural gas

easternmost Caribbean island

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

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

Central America and the Caribbean

50 sq km (2012)

80 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one third  of the population lives in urban areas

Highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Total : 430 sq km

Land: 430 sq km

Water: 0 sq km

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)

At birth: 1.01 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

Total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)

Adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

Urban population: 31.4% of total population (2023)

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

Improved:

Total: 98.5% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved:

Total: 1.5% of population (2022 est.)

89,000 BRIDGETOWN (capital) (2018)

5.7 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Total dependency ratio: 49.2 (2024 est.)

Youth dependency ratio: 24.8 (2024 est.)

Elderly dependency ratio: 24.4 (2024 est.)

Potential support ratio: 4.1 (2024 est.)

Improved:

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Unimproved:

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

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

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

2.96 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

8.1% of GDP (2021)

8.7% of national budget (2022 est.)

0.85 (2024 est.)

57.2% (2021 est.)

Total: 23.7% (2024 est.)

Male: 27.5% (2024 est.)

Female: 19.6% (2024 est.)

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

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

Total: 41.4 years (2024 est.)

Male: 40.3 years

Female: 42.5 years

35 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.7 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Total: 304,139 (2024 est.)

Male: 146,587

Female: 157,552

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

Male: 11.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Female: 8.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Total: 6.2% (2025 est.)

Male: 11.4% (2025 est.)

Female: 1.5% (2025 est.)

23.1% (2016)

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

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

Total: 9.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Beer: 3.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Wine: 1.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Spirits: 4.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Other alcohols: 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Total population: 79 years (2024 est.)

Male: 76.3 years

Female: 81.8 years

3.6% of GDP (2024 est.)

14.2% national budget (2025 est.)

0.23% (2024 est.)

Municipal: 20 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Industrial: 6.2 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Agricultural: 54.8 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Municipal solid waste generated annually: 174,800 tons (2024 est.)

Percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 10.6% (2022 est.)

9.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

1.348 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

From coal and metallurgical coke: 2 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

From petroleum and other liquids: 1.284 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

From consumed natural gas: 64,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

68.293 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Karin B. SULLIVAN (since January 2025); note - also accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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

Mailing address: 3120 Bridgetown Place, Washington DC  20521-3120

Telephone: (246) 227-4000

FAX: (246) 431-0179

Email address and website:
Bridgetownpublicaffairs@state.gov

https://bb.usembassy.gov/

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

Name: Bridgetown

Geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W

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

Etymology: Originally named Indian Bridge in 1628 for a bridge built beside Carlisle Bay, then called St. Michael's Town until the 19th century; now named after a bridge built over the Constitution River that flows through the center of the city

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

Amendment process: 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

Chief of state: President Jeffrey Davidson BOSTIC (since 30 November 2025)

Head of government: Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018)

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

Election/appointment process: President elected by an electoral college of both Houses of Parliament for a 4-year renewable term; following legislative elections, the president usually appoints the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition as prime minister; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Most recent election date: 7 October 2025

Election results: Jeffrey Davidson BOSTIC elected as the country's second president

Expected date of next election: NA

Description: Three equal vertical bands of ultramarine blue (left side), gold, and ultramarine blue with a black trident head centered on the gold band

Meaning: Blue stands for the sea and sky, and gold for the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past

30 November 1966 (from the UK)

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; Caribbean Court of Justice is the final court of appeal

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

Legislature name: Parlement de Barbade (Parliament of Barbados)

Legislative structure: Bicameral

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

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

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Alliance Party for Progress or APP
Barbados Labor Party or BLP
Democratic Labor Party or DLP

18 years of age; universal

parliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm

Conventional long form: None

Conventional short form: Barbados

Etymology: The name is the plural of the Spanish word barbado and means "the bearded ones," which could refer either to the beard-like leaves of the island's fig trees or to the beards of Carib inhabitants

Chief of mission: Ambassador Victor Anthony FERNANDES (since 18 September 2024)

Chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200

FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467

Email address and website:
Washington@foreign.gov.bb

https://www.foreign.gov.bb/embassies-high-commissions-and-permanent-missions/

Consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Title: "The National Anthem of Barbados"

Lyrics/music: Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS

History: Adopted 1966

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Neptune's trident, pelican, red bird of paradise flower (also known as "Pride of Barbados")

Citizenship by birth: Yes

Citizenship by descent only: Yes

Dual citizenship recognized: Yes

Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)

Selected World Heritage Site locales: Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison

blue, yellow, black

Lowest 10%: 2.5% (2016 est.)

Highest 10%: 25.8% (2016 est.)

Note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

liquor, refined petroleum, packaged medicine, margarine, baked goods (2023)

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

USA 22%, Jamaica 17%, Trinidad & Tobago 8%, Canada 6%, Guyana 6% (2023)

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

sugarcane, chicken, vegetables, milk, eggs, sweet potatoes, pork, coconuts, tropical fruits, pulses (2023)

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Revenues: $1.269 billion (2015 est.)

Expenditures: $1.664 billion (2015 est.)

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

refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, plastic products, ships (2023)

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
2 (2024 est.)
2 (2023 est.)
2 (2022 est.)
2 (2021 est.)
2 (2020 est.)

Note: The Barbadian dollar is pegged to the US dollar

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

$7.165 billion (2024 est.)

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Household consumption: 75.6% (2022 est.)

Government consumption: 11.8% (2022 est.)

Investment in fixed capital: 16.5% (2022 est.)

Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2022 est.)

Exports of goods and services: 34.3% (2022 est.)

Imports of goods and services: -42.2% (2022 est.)

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

USA 32%, Trinidad & Tobago 19%, Netherlands 6%, UK 6%, Guyana 5% (2023)

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

1.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.6% of GDP (2021 est.)

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

147,200 (2024 est.)

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

$1.606 billion (2023 est.)
$1.52 billion (2022 est.)
$1.673 billion (2021 est.)

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

133.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: central government debt as a % of GDP

7.6% (2024 est.)
7.9% (2023 est.)
8.4% (2022 est.)

note: % of labor force seeking employment

24.9% (of GDP) (2016 est.)

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

$5.634 billion (2024 est.)
$5.428 billion (2023 est.)
$5.214 billion (2022 est.)

note: data in 2021 dollars

-0.5% (2024 est.)
9.8% (2023 est.)
4.1% (2019 est.)

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

-$296.396 million (2017 est.)
-$452.39 million (2016 est.)
-$98.732 million (2015 est.)

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

$19,900 (2024 est.)
$19,200 (2023 est.)
$18,500 (2022 est.)

note: data in 2021 dollars

$2.12 billion (2021 est.)
$2.213 billion (2017 est.)
$2.238 billion (2016 est.)

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

$2.228 billion (2017 est.)
$2.41 billion (2016 est.)
$2.358 billion (2015 est.)

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

3.8% (2024 est.)
4.1% (2023 est.)
17.8% (2022 est.)

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

-1.3% (2023 est.)

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

Agriculture: 1.9% (2023 est.)

Industry: 13.2% (2023 est.)

Services: 75.4% (2023 est.)

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

Electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)

Exports: 4 metric tons (2023 est.)

Imports: 57 metric tons (2023 est.)

Fossil fuels: 91.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Solar: 7.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Biomass and waste: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Production: 7.957 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Consumption: 32.593 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Imports: 24.636 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Proven reserves: 113.267 million cubic meters (2021 est.)

Total petroleum production: 2,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Refined petroleum consumption: 8,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Crude oil estimated reserves: 1.978 million barrels (2021 est.)

Installed generating capacity: 320,000 kW (2023 est.)

Consumption: 1.025 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Transmission/distribution losses: 64.586 million kWh (2023 est.)

Percent of population: 80% (2023 est.)

.bb

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

Total subscriptions: 323,000 (2022 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 115 (2022 est.)

Total: 106,000 (2022 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 37 (2022 est.)

Total subscriptions: 121,000 (2022 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 43 (2022 est.)

8P

1 (2025)

Total: 272 (2023)

By type: Bulk carrier 90, general cargo 149, oil tanker 5, other 28

1 (2025)

Barbados Defense Force (BDF): The Barbados Regiment, The Barbados Coast Guard (2025)

Note 1: 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

Note 2: The Barbados Cadet Corps is a national youth organization affiliated with the BDF; membership is open to all school children in Barbados between the ages of 11 and 18

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; 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 Caribbean Regional Security System (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 (2025)

0.7% of GDP (2024 est.)
0.7% of GDP (2023 est.)
0.8% of GDP (2022 est.)
0.9% of GDP (2021 est.)
0.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

approximately 600 active BDF personnel (2025)

the BDF's major equipment inventory is comprised mostly of donated items from China, the Netherlands, and the US (2025)

18-25 for voluntary active service at the start of recruit training; 18-30 for reserves (2025)

Refugees: 13 (2024 est.)

Tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — Barbados did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period and was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/barbados/

Total ports: 1 (2024)

Large: 0

Medium: 0

Small: 1

Very small: 0

Ports with oil terminals: 1

Key ports: Bridgetown

Chamber name: House of Assembly

Number of seats: 30 (all directly elected)

Electoral system: Plurality/majority

Scope of elections: Full renewal

Term in office: 5 years

Most recent election date: 1/19/2022

Parties elected and seats per party: Barbados Labour Party (BLP) (30)

Percentage of women in chamber: 26.7%

Expected date of next election: January 2027

Chamber name: Senate

Number of seats: 21 (all appointed)

Scope of elections: Full renewal

Term in office: 5 years

Most recent election date: 2/4/2022

Percentage of women in chamber: 33.3%

Expected date of next election: February 2027

34.1 (2016 est.)

Note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality