Barbados

noun:

Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)

adjective:

Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

total:

42.2 years (2025 est.)

male:

40.3 years

female:

42.5 years

at birth:

1.01 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.73 male(s)/female

total population:

0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

11.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

8.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

79 years (2024 est.)

male:

76.3 years

female:

81.8 years

total:

9.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

3.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

1.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

4.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

6.2% (2025 est.)

male:

11.4% (2025 est.)

female:

1.5% (2025 est.)

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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

31.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

174,800 tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

10.6% (2022 est.)

municipal:

20 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

6.2 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

54.8 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Barbados

etymology:

the name is the plural of the Spanish word barbado and means "the bearded ones," which could refer either to the beard-like leaves of the island's fig trees or to the beards of Carib inhabitants

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

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

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Jeffrey Davidson BOSTIC (since 30 November 2025)

head of government:

Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

election/appointment process:

• president elected by an electoral college of both Houses of Parliament for a 4-year renewable term;
• following legislative elections, the president usually appoints the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition as prime minister;
• the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

most recent election date:

7 October 2025

election results:

Jeffrey Davidson BOSTIC elected as the country's second president

expected date of next election:

NA

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

chamber name:

House of Assembly

number of seats:

30 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

plurality/majority

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

1/19/2022

parties elected and seats per party:

Barbados Labour Party (BLP) (30)

percentage of women in chamber:

26.7%

expected date of next election:

January 2027

chamber name:

Senate

number of seats:

21 (all appointed)

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

2/4/2022

percentage of women in chamber:

33.3%

expected date of next election:

February 2027

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

• Alliance Party for Progress or APP
• Barbados Labor Party or BLP
• Democratic Labor Party or DLP

chief of mission:

Ambassador Victor Anthony FERNANDES (since 18 September 2024)

chancery:

2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 939-9200

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-7467

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.foreign.gov.bb/embassies-high-commissions-and-permanent-missions/

consulate(s) general:

Miami, New York

chief of mission:

• Ambassador (vacant);
• Chargé d'Affaires Karin B. SULLIVAN (since January 2025);
• note - also accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

embassy:

Wildey Business Park, St. Michael BB 14006, Barbados, W.I.

mailing address:

3120 Bridgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3120

telephone:

(246) 227-4000

FAX:

(246) 431-0179

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://bb.usembassy.gov/

description:

three equal vertical bands of ultramarine blue (left side), gold, and ultramarine blue with a black trident head centered on the gold band

meaning:

blue stands for the sea and sky, and gold for the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past

title:

"The National Anthem of Barbados"

lyrics/music:

Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS

history:

adopted 1966

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison

• 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

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

total:

23.7% (2024 est.)

male:

27.5% (2024 est.)

female:

19.6% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

2.5% (2016 est.)

highest 10%:

25.8% (2016 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

exports:

4 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

57 metric tons (2023 est.)

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.)

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.)

• 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)

total ports:

1 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

1

very small:

0

ports with oil terminals:

1

key ports:

Bridgetown

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List — Barbados did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period and was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/barbados/