Barbados

A little history

What's it like there?

The weather is tropical.

Location

• Caribbean
• Island in the North Atlantic Ocean
• Northeast of Venezuela

Size

2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Climate

• Tropical
• Rainy season (June to October)

Landscape

• Relatively flat
• Rises gently to central highland region

Natural resources

• Petroleum
• Fish
• Natural gas

Land use

Agricultural land	23.3%
Arable land	16.3%
Permanent crops	2.3%
Permanent pasture	4.7%
Forest	14.7%
Other	62.1%

2023 estimate

Good to know

Easternmost Caribbean island

Who lives there?

About 286,641 people live in Barbados, and the biggest city is Bridgetown.

Largest cities

Bridgetown Capital		98,511

Languages

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

Religions

Protestant (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%)		66.4%
Roman Catholic		3.8%
Other Christian (includes Jehovah's Witness 2.0%, other 3.4%)		5.4%
Rastafarian		1%
Other		1.5%
None		20.6%
Unspecified		1.2%

2010 estimate

Ethnic groups

African descent		92.4%
Mixed		3.1%
White		2.7%
East Indian		1.3%
Other		0.2%
Unspecified		0.3%

2010 estimate

Where people live

• Most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean
• Approximately one third of the population lives in urban areas

Cities and towns

Urban population	31.4% of total population 2023
Rate of urbanization	0.46% annual rate of change 2020-25 estimate

What people are called

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

Who's in charge?

Its government is a parliamentary republic.

Leaders

Head of state	President Jeffrey Davidson Bostic (since 30 November 2025)
Head of government	Prime Minister Mia Mottley (since 25 May 2018)

Parliament

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

Courts

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

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
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

Legal system

• English common law
• No judicial review of legislative acts

Who can vote

• 18 years of age
• Universal

How does it make a living?

In short

• High-income Eastern Caribbean economy
• High standard of living among regional peers
• Key tourism, construction, and financial sectors driving recent GDP growth
• Declining but still very high public debt leading to IMF support programs
• Susceptible to natural disasters and reliance on import partners

Industries

• Tourism
• Sugar
• Light manufacturing
• Component assembly for export

Farming

• Sugarcane
• Chicken
• Vegetables
• Milk
• Eggs
• Sweet potatoes
• Pork
• Coconuts
• Tropical fruits
• Pulses

2023

Note: Top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Exports

• Liquor
• Refined petroleum
• Packaged medicine
• Margarine
• Baked goods

2023

Note: Top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Sells most to

USA		22%
Jamaica		17%
Trinidad & Tobago		8%
Canada		6%
Guyana		6%

2023

Note: Top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

Imports

• Refined petroleum
• Crude petroleum
• Cars
• Plastic products
• Ships

2023

Note: Top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Buys most from

USA		32%
Trinidad & Tobago		19%
Netherlands		6%
UK		6%
Guyana		5%

2023

Note: Top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Workforce

147,200

2024 estimate

Note: Number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Electricity

Electrification - total population	100% 2022 estimate

Government budget

Revenues	$1.269 billion
Expenditures	$1.664 billion

2015 estimate

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