Barbados

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 89,340 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2018 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

Internet users

total: 239,664 | percent of population: 81.76% (July 2018 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: island-wide automatic telephone system; telecom sector across the Caribbean region remains one of the key growth areas and contributors to the overall GDP; numerous competitors licensed, but small and localized (2020) | domestic: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 48 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density about 109 per 100 persons (2019) | 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) | note: the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications production and supply chains globally; consumer spending on telecom devices and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect on economies worldwide; overall progress towards improvements in all facets of the telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable and satellite - has moderated

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 141,618 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48.19 (2019 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 319,177 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 108.61 (2019 est.)

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Budget

revenues: 1.466 billion (2013 est.) (2017 est.) | expenditures: 1.664 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Moody's rating: Caa1 (2019) | Standard & Poors rating: B- (2019)

Current account balance

-$189 million (2017 est.) | -$206 million (2016 est.)

Debt - external

$4.49 billion (2010 est.) | $668 million (2003 est.)

Ease of Doing Business Index scores

57.9 (2020)

Economic 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.

Exchange rates

Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - | 2 (2017 est.) | 2 (2016 est.) | 2 (2015 est.) | 2 (2014 est.) | 2 (2013 est.) | note: the Barbadian dollar is pegged to the US dollar

Exports

$485.4 million (2017 est.) | $516.9 million (2016 est.)

Exports - commodities

manufactures, sugar, molasses, rum, other foodstuffs and beverages, chemicals, electrical components

Exports - partners

US 38%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.2%, Guyana 5.5%, Jamaica 5%, China 4.8%, St. Lucia 4.6% (2017)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP (official exchange rate)

$4.99 billion (2017 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity) - real

$5.218 billion (2017 est.) | $5.227 billion (2016 est.) | $5.111 billion (2015 est.) | 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.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$18,600 (2017 est.) | $18,700 (2016 est.) | $18,300 (2015 est.) | note: data are in 2017 dollars

GDP real growth rate

-0.2% (2017 est.) | 2.3% (2016 est.) | 2.2% (2015 est.)

Gross national saving

7.2% of GDP (2017 est.) | 11.8% of GDP (2016 est.) | 10.8% of GDP (2015 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA | highest 10%: NA

Imports

$1.52 billion (2017 est.) | $1.541 billion (2016 est.)

Imports - commodities

consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components

Imports - partners

US 38.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.6%, China 7.1%, UK 4.7% (2017)

Industrial production growth rate

2.4% (2017 est.)

Industries

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.4% (2017 est.) | 1.5% (2016 est.)

Labor force

144,000 (2017 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 10% | industry: 15% | services: 75% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA

Public debt

157.3% of GDP (2017 est.) | 149.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$264.5 million (31 December 2017 est.) | $341.8 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

29.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

10.1% (2017 est.) | 9.9% (2016 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

1.76 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude oil - exports

674 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - production

1,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

2.534 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity - consumption

990 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2017 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

93% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

7% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

269,000 kW (2016 est.)

Electricity - production

1.01 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2020)

Natural gas - consumption

19.82 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - imports

5.653 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - production

14.16 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

141.6 million cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

11,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

10,630 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Area

total: 430 sq km | land: 430 sq km | water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Coastline

97 km

Elevation

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m | highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - 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 | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Geography - note

easternmost Caribbean island

Irrigated land

50 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

agricultural land: 32.6% (2016 est.) | arable land: 25.6% (2016 est.) / permanent crops: 2.3% (2016 est.) / permanent pasture: 4.7% (2016 est.) | forest: 19.4% (2016 est.) | other: 48% (2016 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Population distribution

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

Terrain

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

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

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

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: yes | citizenship by descent only: yes | dual citizenship recognized: yes | residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

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

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

Diplomatic representation 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 | telephone: [1] (246) 227-4000 | embassy: Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006, W.I. | mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; (Department Name) Unit 3120, DPO AA 34055 | FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Noel Anderson LYNCH (since 11 January 2019) | chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200 | FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 | consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

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 | elections/appointments: 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

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)

Government type

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Independence

30 November 1966 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

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

Legal system

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

description: bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at the discretion of the governor general) 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

National anthem

name: The National Anthem of Barbados | lyrics/music: Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS | note: adopted 1966; the anthem is also known as "In Plenty and In Time of Need"

National holiday

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

National symbol(s)

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

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]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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 plans to remove the British monarch as its head of state by November 2021 and transition to a republic.

Military and security forces

Royal Barbados Defense Force: The Barbados Regiment, The Barbados Coast Guard (2020)

Military and security service personnel strengths

the Royal Barbados Defense Force (RBDF) has approximately 550 active personnel (450 Barbados Regiment; 100 Coast Guard) (2019 est.)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the RBDF's major equipment inventory - maritime patrol boats - is supplied by the Netherlands (2019 est.)

Military service age and obligation

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

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.) | population pyramid: The World Factbook Field Image Modal × Central America :: Barbados Print Image Description This is the population pyramid for Barbados. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Birth rate

11.3 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

3.5% (2012)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

59.2% (2012)

Current Health Expenditure

6.8% (2017)

Death rate

8.8 deaths/1,000 population (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.)

Drinking water source

improved: total: 98.5% of population | unimproved: total: 1.5% of population (2017 est.)

Education expenditures

4.4% of GDP (2017)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.1% (2019 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

<100 (2019 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

2,700 (2019 est.)

Hospital bed density

6 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Infant mortality rate

total: 9.6 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 10.7 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 8.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76 years | male: 73.6 years | female: 78.4 years (2020 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 99.6% | male: 99.6% | female: 99.6% (2014)

Major urban areas - population

89,000 BRIDGETOWN (capital) (2018)

Maternal mortality rate

27 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

total: 39.5 years | male: 38.4 years | female: 40.7 years (2020 est.)

Nationality

noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) | adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

Net migration rate

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

23.1% (2016)

Physicians density

2.48 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Population

294,560 (July 2020 est.)

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

0.23% (2020 est.)

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.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: total: 99.2% of population | unimproved: total: 0.8% of population (2017 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 15 years | male: 14 years | female: 17 years (2011)

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.)

Total fertility rate

1.68 children born/woman (2020 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 29.6% | male: 27.9% | female: 31.5% (2016 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 31.2% of total population (2020) | rate of urbanization: 0.2% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.) | total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030: PDF

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

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

Airports

1 (2020)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 (2019) | over 3,047 m: 1

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

8P (2016)

Merchant marine

total: 132 | by type: bulk carrier 25general cargo 90, other 17 (2019)

Pipelines

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

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Bridgetown

Roadways

total: 1,700 km (2015) | paved: 1,700 km (2015)