Barbados
- Capital Bridgetown (13° 6´N, 59° 37´W)
- International airport(s) Grantley Adams Airport, Bridgetown
- Official language(s) English
- Currency Barbados Dollar
- Time UTC -4
- Region Caribbean
GeographyClimateEconomyCulture
Known as both 'the land of the flying fish' and the 'jewel of the Caribbean', Barbados is the easternmost island in the Caribbean island chain, otherwise known as the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. Unlike many Caribbean islands, Barbados is non‐volcanic and composed mainly of coral limestone. It has a varied landscape including flatlands, highlands, terraces and rugged cliffs, caves and tropical rainforests. The island's name means 'the bearded ones', after the indigenous bearded fig trees once found in abundance on the island.
Barbados, lying just north of the equator, enjoys a hot and humid, moderately tropical, oceanic climate all year round. However, the heat is tempered by northeast trade winds. Temperatures do not vary by much throughout the year, with monthly average temperatures ranging from 26 to 27°C; humidity usually stays between 70 and 76 per cent. Sea temperatures average around 25°C. The average annual rainfall is about 2 200 mm, with November as the wettest month. Barbados lies along the southern edge of the Caribbean hurricane zone. Hurricanes have caused great devastation in the past. The Atlantic hurricane season coincides with the wet season, which lasts from June to November. -—
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Barbados has an open, market‐oriented economy. The Barbados economy, formerly solely dependent on sugar, has diversified over the past 30 years into services (tourism and financial services) and light industry and agriculture (sugar). According to the items attribute is mandatory, almost 30 per cent of men work in industry, and nearly 10 per cent for women. Relatively few are employed in agriculture. Services account for over 80 per cent of GDP -—
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—-, and almost the same proportion of employment. In 2018, almost 1.4 million tourists arrived in the country and inbound tourism expenditure reached 22 per cent over GDP -—
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As a small and open economy, Barbados is vulnerable to global economic downturns and those of its trade partners. A significant amount of income is received in the form of remittances from Barbadians overseas. Barbados' best‐known export is Mount Gay Rum, one of the oldest and most famous brands of fine rum in the world and produced in Barbados since 1703. Given this history, it is not surprising that the export of beverages constitutes well over 10 per cent of the value of commodity exports in Barbados. The main export partners include, for instance the United States of America, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.
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—-, and almost the same proportion of employment. In 2018, almost 1.4 million tourists arrived in the country and inbound tourism expenditure reached 22 per cent over GDP -—
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As a small and open economy, Barbados is vulnerable to global economic downturns and those of its trade partners. A significant amount of income is received in the form of remittances from Barbadians overseas. Barbados' best‐known export is Mount Gay Rum, one of the oldest and most famous brands of fine rum in the world and produced in Barbados since 1703. Given this history, it is not surprising that the export of beverages constitutes well over 10 per cent of the value of commodity exports in Barbados. The main export partners include, for instance the United States of America, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.
Barbados has the third oldest parliament in the world, with uninterrupted parliamentary governance since 1639. The capital of Barbados, Bridgetown, has been an important port town for many centuries. This colourful and well‐preserved historic town is a UNESCO heritage site.
Barbados is also known for its small wooden chattel houses. Chattel, meaning movable property, arose in the past as homeowners were not necessarily landowners. Thus, chattel houses were constructed on blocks, so if an owner had to move, they could take the house with them. Over time, a distinct and ornate design of Barbadian chattel house evolved, making them unique and traditionally Barbadian in style.
Barbadian cuisine includes a unique blend of foods with African, Indian and British influences. The national dish of Barbados is Cou‐Cou and Flying Fish. Cou‐Cou is made with yellow cornmeal and okras, in much the same way that it has been made in Africa for centuries. Flying Fish is prepared and stewed in an aromatic sauce of tomato, onion, chives, thyme, fresh pepper, garlic and other local herbs. Other popular dishes include fried fish cakes, souse (a pickled pork dish), black pudding, macaroni pie, and sweet desserts such as tamarind balls and baked custard.
Music plays an important role in the country's culture, blending calypso, local spouge, jazz, reggae and soca. Perhaps their best known musical exports are Rihanna and Grandmaster Flash.
Cricket is considered the national sport. One of the greatest cricket all‐rounders, Sir Garfield St. Auburn Sobers, was born in 1936 in Barbados.
Before the Concorde supersonic jet was decommissioned in 2003, Barbados was one of only four countries with regular Concorde service from London.
Barbados is also known for its small wooden chattel houses. Chattel, meaning movable property, arose in the past as homeowners were not necessarily landowners. Thus, chattel houses were constructed on blocks, so if an owner had to move, they could take the house with them. Over time, a distinct and ornate design of Barbadian chattel house evolved, making them unique and traditionally Barbadian in style.
Barbadian cuisine includes a unique blend of foods with African, Indian and British influences. The national dish of Barbados is Cou‐Cou and Flying Fish. Cou‐Cou is made with yellow cornmeal and okras, in much the same way that it has been made in Africa for centuries. Flying Fish is prepared and stewed in an aromatic sauce of tomato, onion, chives, thyme, fresh pepper, garlic and other local herbs. Other popular dishes include fried fish cakes, souse (a pickled pork dish), black pudding, macaroni pie, and sweet desserts such as tamarind balls and baked custard.
Music plays an important role in the country's culture, blending calypso, local spouge, jazz, reggae and soca. Perhaps their best known musical exports are Rihanna and Grandmaster Flash.
Cricket is considered the national sport. One of the greatest cricket all‐rounders, Sir Garfield St. Auburn Sobers, was born in 1936 in Barbados.
Before the Concorde supersonic jet was decommissioned in 2003, Barbados was one of only four countries with regular Concorde service from London.
Land areakm2
Arable land%
Forest area%
Coastline
lengthkm
lengthkm
Exclusive economic zonekm2
Nearest
neighbourkm
neighbourkm
Economic trendsMaritime transportPopulationInternational tradeEnvironmentInformation and communications technology
Gross domestic product
US dollars at constant prices (2015) in millions
US dollars at constant prices (2015) in millions
GDP per capita
2019
US$
Productive Capacity Index
2018
Economic and environmental vulnerability index
2019
Consumer Price Index growth
2019
%
Unemployment
rate
Female %, Male %
rate
Total %
Female %, Male %
Main economic sectors, 2019
Percentage of GDP
Percentage of GDP
Tourist arrivals
Thousands of tourists, percentage of GDP
Thousands of tourists, percentage of GDP
External financial resources
Percentage of GDP
Percentage of GDP
Public debt as % of GDP
2018
%
Fleet size
Number of ships
Number of ships
Ship type | 2011 | 2019 |
---|---|---|
Total fleet | 1 407 | 1 407 |
Oil tankers | 264 | 266 |
Bulk carriers | 311 | 333 |
General cargo | 161 | 77 |
Container ships | 52 | 49 |
Other types of ships | 619 | 682 |
Port performance
Ranked by 2019 data within SIDS group
Ranked by 2019 data within SIDS group
Indicators | 2019 | SIDS Ranking |
---|---|---|
Number of port calls | 1 305 | 13 |
Median time in port (days) | 0.6 | 27 |
Average age of vessels | 18 | 11 |
Average size (GT) of vessels | 33 198 | 9 |
Container port throuput
2019
TEU
Bilateral connectivity index, 2019
Top 5 partners
Top 5 partners
Liner shipping connectivity index
Maximum China Q1 2006=100
Maximum China Q1 2006=100
Total population
Thousands of people, share of urban population
Thousands of people, share of urban population
Population development indicators
Indicators | Period | Value | |
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Poverty headcount (% of population) | .. | .. | |
Human development index | 2018 | 0.8 | |
Human assets index | 2020 | 98 | |
Adult literacy rate (15+ years, both sexes %) | .. | .. | |
Gender inequality index | 2019 | 0.3 |
Life expectancy at birth
years
Population density
2019
persons per km2Dependency
ratio
Old-age:
ratio
2019
Child:Old-age:
Age structure by gender, 2019
Percentage of total population
Percentage of total population
Merchandise and services trade
US dollars in millions
US dollars in millions
Indicators | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2019 | 2019 (% of GDP) | ||||||
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Merchandise exports | 359 | 429 | 483 | 444 | 8.5 | ||||||
Merchandise imports | 1 604 | 1 569 | 1 618 | 1 581 | 30.4 | ||||||
Services exports | 1 255 | 1 332 | 1 419 | 1 498 | 28.8 | ||||||
Services imports | 522 | 670 | 713 | 574 | 11 |
Trade openness
Goods and services
Goods and services
% of GDP
Export concentration index
2019
Food import
dependency
Average 2015-2019
dependency
Average 2015-2019
Top 5 partners in merchandise trade, 2019
Exports in millions US dollars
Exports in millions US dollars
Merchandise exports by product group, 2019
Services exports by category, 2019
CO2 emissions per capita
Kg per capita
Kg per capita
CO2 emissions per GDP
Kg per 2010 US$ of GDP
Kg per 2010 US$ of GDP
Renewable energy share in total energy consumption, 2017
Percentage of total energy consumption
Percentage of total energy consumption
Material
footprint
per capita
footprint
per capita
2016
kg
Terrestrial
protected
area
protected
area
2018
%
Marine
protected
area
protected
area
2018
%
Disasters indicators
Data not available
Trade in ICT goods
Imports: %
Exports: %
Imports: %
Trade in ICT services
Imports: %
Exports: %
Imports: %
Fixed broadband vs Mobile broadband subscriptions
Number of subscriptions per 100 people
Number of subscriptions per 100 people
Sources
Source of data: -—
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—- except indicators listed below.
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—- except indicators listed below.
- Adult literacy rate: -—
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—- - Arable land: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.ARBL.ZS - CO2 emissions per capita: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC - CO2 emissions per GDP: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.KD.GD - Distance to nearest neighbour: -—
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—- https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/cshapes/index.html - Economic losses due to disasters: -—
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—- https://www.sdg.org/datasets/e3adb2406c2e452b81c3654e276fc5ca_0 - Exclusive economic zone: -—
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—- http://www.seaaroundus.org/ - Fixed broadband/mobile subscriptions: -—
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—-. World telecommunication/ICT indicators database. Available at https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/wtid.aspx (accessed 28 May 2020). - Forest area: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.ZS - Gender inequality index: -—
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—-. Gender inequality index (GII), http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/gender-inequality-index-gii - Human assets index: -—
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—- http://data.uis.unesco.org/ - Human development index: -—
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—- http://hdr.undp.org/en/data# - Life expectancy at birth: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN - Marine protected area: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS - Material footprint: -—
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—- https://environmentlive.unep.org/indicator/index/12_2_1 - Number of people affected by disasters: -—
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—- https://www.sdg.org/datasets/1beb260e9ca14674b391b815e4874990_0 - ODA: -—
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—- https://stats.oecd.org - Percentage of population in low elevated coastal zones: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.EL5M.ZS - Poverty headcount ratio: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY - Renewable energy share in total energy consumption: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.KD.GD - Share of internet users: -—
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—-. World telecommunication/ICT indicators database. Available at https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/wtid.aspx (accessed 28 May 2020). - Terrestrial protected area: -—
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—- https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.LND.PTLD.ZS - Tourism: -—
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—- Compendium of Tourism Statistics dataset [Electronic], UNWTO, Madrid, data updated on 21/09/2020. - Unemployment rate, total/female/male: -—
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—- https://www.ilo.org/shinyapps/bulkexplorer2/?lang=en&segment=indicator&id=SDG_0852_SEX_AGE_RT_A - World risk index: -—
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—-: https://weltrisikobericht.de/download/1386/
References
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Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.
Donec tincidunt vel mauris a dignissim. Curabitur sodales nunc id vestibulum tempor. Nunc tortor orci, sodales nec eros eget.