Barbados

Barbados was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Enslaved Africans 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 independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. Barbados became a republic in 2021, with the former Governor-General Sandra MASON elected as the first president.

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

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Central America and the Caribbean

2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

97 km

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

petroleum, fish, natural gas

50 sq km (2012)

most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one third  of the population lives in urban areas

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

easternmost Caribbean island

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

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

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.)

-0.42% (2025 est.)

8.02 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

11.96 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one third  of the population lives in urban areas

89,000 BRIDGETOWN (capital) (2018)

35 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.24 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.62 (2025 est.)

2.96 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

5.7 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

23.1% (2016)

57.2% (2021 est.)

pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid-waste disposal 

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

9.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

80 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm

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

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Alliance Party for Progress or APP<br>Barbados Labor Party or BLP<br>Democratic Labor Party or DLP

ACP, ACS, 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

30 November 1966 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

<strong>description:</strong> three equal vertical bands of ultramarine blue (left side), gold, and ultramarine blue with a black trident head centered on the gold band<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> blue stands for the sea and sky, and gold for the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past

Neptune's trident, pelican, red bird of paradise flower (also known as "Pride of Barbados")

blue, yellow, black

<p>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</p>

$7.165 billion (2024 est.)

sugarcane, chicken, vegetables, milk, eggs, sweet potatoes, pork, coconuts, tropical fruits, pulses (2023)

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

-1.3% (2023 est.)

147,200 (2024 est.)

24.9% (of GDP) (2016 est.)

USA 22%, Jamaica 17%, Trinidad &amp; Tobago 8%, Canada 6%, Guyana 6% (2023)

liquor, refined petroleum, packaged medicine, margarine, baked goods (2023)

USA 32%, Trinidad &amp; Tobago 19%, Netherlands 6%, UK 6%, Guyana 5% (2023)

refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, plastic products, ships (2023)

government-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) operates the lone terrestrial TV station; CBC also has a multi-channel cable TV subscription service; roughly a dozen CBC-operated radio stations operate alongside privately owned radio stations (2019)

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8P

1 (2025)

1 (2025)

Barbados Defense Force (BDF): The Barbados Regiment, The Barbados Coast Guard (2025)

approximately 600 active BDF personnel (2025)

the BDF's major equipment inventory is comprised mostly of donated items from China, the Netherlands, and the US (2025)

18-25 for voluntary active service at the start of recruit training; 18-30 for reserves (2025)

formed in 1979, the Barbados Defense Force (BDF) is responsible for protecting national security, but it may also be called up to maintain internal public order in times of crisis, emergency, or other specific needs, such as special joint patrols with the police; it also provides humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations both domestically and regionally; other duties include assisting with national development, such as through the training of the country's youth with the units of the Barbados Cadet Corps <br><br>Barbados has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since its creation in 1982; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security; the RSS is headquartered in Barbados (2025)