Barbados
Country in Americas
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 282.6K (2025). World rank 179 of 216; in Americas, 30 of 46. Area: 430 km². World rank 206 of 249; in Americas, 40 of 56. GDP: $8B (2025). World rank 159 of 210; in Americas, 29 of 45. From 2015 to 2025: population 279K → 282.6K, GDP $5.7B → $8B, and GDP per person $20,429 → $28,365.
State
- Official name
- Barbados
- Local name
- Barbados
- Capital
- Bridgetown
- Region
- Americas
- Form of government
- Parliamentary republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Sandra Mason
- Head of government
- Mia Mottley
- Independence
- November 30, 1966
- Women in parliament
- 26.7% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 282,623 2025
- Area
- 430 km²
- GDP
- $8B 2025
- GDP per person
- $28,365 2025
- Life expectancy
- 76.3 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Barbadian Dollar (BBD)
- Time zones
- UTC−4
- Calling code
- +1246
- Emergency numbers
- 211, 311, 511, 911
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- A, B
- Mains voltage
- 115 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 97
- Neighbours
- None
- Agricultural land
- 23.2% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mount Hillaby, 336 m
- Lowest point
- Atlantic Ocean, 0 m
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 27
- Warmest month in the capital
- September, 28°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- February, 26°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,422 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 657.3 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +0.1% 2025
- Living in cities
- 59.7% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -87 2025
- Born in another country
- 12.5% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 17.1% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 65.9% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 17.1% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 78.8 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 73.8 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 1.7 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 11.1 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 10.2 2024
Society
- Religions
- Protestant 66.4%, no religion 20.6%, other Christian 5.4%, Catholic 3.8%, and other 2.5% (2010)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 70.5 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 72.8 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 64.9 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 62.3 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 77.7 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $25,894 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +2.7% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- High income
- Gross national income per person
- $27,080 2025
- Inflation
- +0.9% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 110 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 1.6% 2024
- Industry, share of GDP
- 12.2% 2024
- Services, share of GDP
- 75.8% 2024
- Unemployment
- 6.5% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 18.5% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 61% 2025
Trade and finance
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -5.1% 2017
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +3.4% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 1.5% 2017
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 23.4% 2016
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 34.1 2016
- Living on under $3 a day
- 1.7% 2016
Education
- Adult literacy
- 99.3% 1970
- Primary school enrolment
- 83.9% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 104% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 50.8% 2025
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 3.6% 2024
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 5.4% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $1,286 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 49.5% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 3 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 3.7 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 6.4 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 88% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 9.1 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 9.8 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 35 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 1% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 13.2% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 67.2% 2022
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 99.2% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 98.1% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 100% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 7.4 2023
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 8.2 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 3.5 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 88.1 2025
- Natural hazards
- tropical cyclones and landslides
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 10.9 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 2.5 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 3.2 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 14.6% 2024
- Protected areas
- 0.1% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 283 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 87.5% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 70.4% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 115 2022
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 37.5 2022
- Internet domain
- .bb
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 100% 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 5.5% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 7.3% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 92.7% 2021
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 0 1991
- Airports
- 1 2025
Science and innovation
- Scientific articles per year
- 57 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 1 2022
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 19.9% 2024