LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN · COUNTRY REFERENCE
Barbados
Written and compiled by American Business Capital Group Inc.
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ANNUAL ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT
Population & economic scale
The most recent non-empty observations returned by the World Bank when this snapshot was collected. Read the year on each card: these are annual statistics, not live measurements.
World Bank reporting entity: Barbados · 3 of 3 indicators available.
Population
282,623
people
observation
Definition, value & source
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.
Received value: 282623 people. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: https://population.un.org/wpp/, publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), uri: https://unstats.un.org/home/nso_sites/, publisher: National Statistical Offices; Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT), uri: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database?node_code=earn_ses_monthly, publisher: Eurostat; Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), United Nations (UN), uri: https://unstats.un.org, publisher: UN Statistics Division
GDP
$8.02 billion
current US$
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 8016550000 current US$. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP per capita
$28,365
current US$ per person
observation
Definition, value & source
Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate.This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Received value: 28364.8181499736 current US$ per person. The main card rounds for readability.
- Collected
- Oct 7, 2026
- Dataset update reported by API
- Jul 13, 2026; separate from the observation year
World Bank indicator ↗ · API record ↗
World Bank, World Development Indicators. CC BY 4.0. Underlying sources: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
GDP and GDP per capita use current US dollars, without an inflation or purchasing-power-parity adjustment. Source years can differ. Missing data is not zero; earlier archive figures below are retained as a separate historical reference.
THE REFERENCE FILE
Barbados at a glance
These are historical reference facts from the 2025 World Factbook archive. Each estimate keeps its own period; an archive edition does not make every figure a measurement from that year.
Population
total: 304,139 (2024 est.) male: 146,587 female: 157,552
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$5.634 billion (2024 est.) $5.428 billion (2023 est.) $5.214 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$7.165 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Real GDP growth rate
3.8% (2024 est.) 4.1% (2023 est.) 17.8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per capita
$19,900 (2024 est.) $19,200 (2023 est.) $18,500 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
-0.5% (2024 est.) 9.8% (2023 est.) 4.1% (2019 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Unemployment rate
7.6% (2024 est.) 7.9% (2023 est.) 8.4% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Labor force
147,200 (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Public debt
133.2% of GDP (2016 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP
Budget
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
Current account balance
-$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
Exports
$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
Imports
$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
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$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
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Internet users
percent of population: 80% (2023 est.)
THE HISTORICAL REFERENCE LIBRARY
Explore the country in detail
Browse the economy, population, resources and infrastructure. These archived descriptions keep their original wording and dates; they have not been updated to describe current conditions.
30 of 30 sections
Location
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
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: 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
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Economic overview
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
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural resources
petroleum, fish, natural gas
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Agricultural products
sugarcane, chicken, vegetables, milk, eggs, sweet potatoes, pork, coconuts, tropical fruits, pulses (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Industries
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - partners
USA 22%, Jamaica 17%, Trinidad & Tobago 8%, Canada 6%, Guyana 6% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Exports - commodities
liquor, refined petroleum, packaged medicine, margarine, baked goods (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - partners
USA 32%, Trinidad & Tobago 19%, Netherlands 6%, UK 6%, Guyana 5% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, plastic products, ships (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
2023 source periods; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Climate
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Terrain
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Land use
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.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural hazards
infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Languages
English (official), Bajan (English-based creole language, widely spoken in informal settings)
archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
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.)
2010 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Age structure
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)
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Urbanization
urban population: 31.4% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
2023, 2020 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 79 years (2024 est.) male: 76.3 years female: 81.8 years
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 320,000 kW (2023 est.) consumption: 1.025 billion kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 64.586 million kWh (2023 est.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Electricity generation sources
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.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Petroleum
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.)
2023, 2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Natural gas
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.)
2023, 2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Carbon dioxide emissions
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.)
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 323,482 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 115 (2022 est.)
2022 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 106,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 37 (2022 est.)
2022 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Airports
1 (2025)
2025 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Ports
total ports: 1 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 1 very small: 0 ports with oil terminals: 1 key ports: Bridgetown
2024 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
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
2023 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
Remittances
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
2023, 2022, 2021 dates in source text; archive edition 2025 · Archive source ↗
CURRENCY OBSERVATIONS
Money & exchange rates
The latest verified daily references are separate from the historical country profile. Values are currency units per US$1.
Barbados Dollar
BBD per US$1
Published reference snapshot; its original observation date is preserved.
1 BBD = US$0.4940956
2.0098–2.0511 BBD per US$1 across the displayed observations. The vertical scale follows this range.
View dated observations
| Observation date | BBD per US$1 |
|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2026 | 2.0239 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | 2.025 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | 2.0386 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | 2.0384 |
| Oct 1, 2026 | 2.0341 |
| Sep 30, 2026 | 2.0418 |
| Sep 29, 2026 | 2.0365 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | 2.0474 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 2.0193 |
| Sep 25, 2026 | 2.0198 |
| Sep 24, 2026 | 2.03 |
| Sep 23, 2026 | 2.0254 |
| Sep 22, 2026 | 2.0098 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | 2.0218 |
| Sep 20, 2026 | 2.0191 |
| Sep 18, 2026 | 2.0201 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | 2.0204 |
| Sep 16, 2026 | 2.0159 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | 2.0511 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 2.0507 |
| Sep 13, 2026 | 2.0371 |
| Sep 11, 2026 | 2.0363 |
| Sep 10, 2026 | 2.0346 |
| Sep 9, 2026 | 2.0332 |
| Sep 8, 2026 | 2.0198 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | 2.0476 |
Daily references are not live execution prices. A check time does not change a source observation date.
CAPITAL MARKETS
Stock exchanges
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Official data & country reports
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SOURCES & DATES
Where the facts come from.
Editorial presentation by American Business Capital Group Inc. The organizations and archive links below are the underlying sources.
- Country reference
- CIA World Factbook · 2025 archive
- Archive retrieved
- Oct 6, 2026 · retrieval date, not an observation period
- Currency associations
- SIX / ISO 4217 currency registry ↗
- Rate observations
- Frankfurter / official reference providers ↗ · each observation is dated separately
- State classification
- UN member states ↗ · UN observer states ↗
- UN membership is shown separately from territory and currency coverage; inclusion is not a position on sovereignty or boundaries.
- CIA World Factbook text preserved by World Factbook Archive. Archive edition 2025; individual estimates retain their own dates. These are historical reference facts, not current observations.
About the editions. The CIA announced the end of its online World Factbook on February 4, 2026. Our historical profiles retain the archive editions shown above.
Skyhorse lists The CIA World Factbook 2026–2027, published April 7, 2026 (ISBN 9781510786042). That book’s full text has not been incorporated here; its edition title does not redate the imported archive. Archive distribution license.
Geography is a simplified reference. Displayed boundaries and entity inclusion do not express a position on sovereignty or disputed borders.