Barbados

noun:

Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)

adjective:

Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

at birth:

1.01 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.7 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

improved:

total: 98.5% of population

unimproved:

total: 1.5% of population (2017 est.)

improved:

total: 99.2% of population

unimproved:

total: 0.8% of population (2017 est.)

• pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships;
• soil erosion;
• illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers

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

particulate matter emissions:

22.24 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

1.28 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

2.35 megatons (2020 est.)

urban population:

31.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

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

municipal solid waste generated annually:

174,815 tons (2011 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

15,733 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

9% (2015 est.)

municipal:

20 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

6.2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

54.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Barbados

etymology:

the name derives from the Portuguese "as barbadas," which means "the bearded ones" and can refer either to the long, hanging roots of the island's bearded fig trees or to the alleged beards of the native 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:

named after a bridge constructed over the swampy area (known as the Careenage) around the Constitution River that flows through the center of Bridgetown

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

amendments:

• 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;
• amended several times, last in 2021

; note - following the transition to a republic on 30 November 2021, the Government of Barbados plans a consultation on drafting a new constitution

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Sandra MASON (since 30 November 2021)

head of government:

Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018)

cabinet:

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

elections/appointments:

• the president is elected by an electoral college of both Houses of Parliament for a four year renewable term;
• election last held 20 October 2021;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president;
• the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

election results:

Sandra MASON elected as first president on 20 October 2021 to take office on 30 November 2021

highest courts:

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; note - in 2005, Barbados acceded to the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal, replacing that of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

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

• Bajan Free Party [Alex MITCHELL]
• Barbados Integrity Movement [Neil HOLDER]
• Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]
• Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Freundel STUART]
• People’s Democratic Congress [Mark ADAMSON]
• People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]
• Solutions Barbados [Grenville PHILLIPS II]
• United Progressive Party or UPP [Lynette EASTMOND]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Noel Anderson LYNCH (since 11 January 2019)

chancery:

2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 939-9200

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-7467

email address and website:

[email protected]

consulate(s) general:

Miami, New York

• three equal vertical bands of ultramarine blue (hoist side), gold, and ultramarine blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band;
• the band colors represent the blue of the sea and sky and the gold of the beaches;
• the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)

name:

The National Anthem of Barbados

lyrics/music:

Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS

note: adopted 1966; the anthem is also known as "In Plenty and In Time of Need"

agriculture:

10%

industry:

15%

services:

75% (1996 est.)

total:

26%

male:

30.3%

female:

21.2% (2019 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

• government-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) operates the lone terrestrial TV station;
• CBC also operates a multi-channel cable TV subscription service;
• roughly a dozen radio stations, consisting of a CBC-operated network operating alongside privately owned radio stations

total:

1,700 km (2015)

paved:

1,700 km (2015)

• Voluntary service only;
• 17 years, 9 months to 17 years, 11 months with letter of consent from a parent or guardian, or be in the age range of 18-25 years at the start of recruit training;
• citizens of Barbados by descent or naturalization (2021)

• Barbados has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since its creation in 1982;
• RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts, 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

• Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone;
• joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits Venezuela to extend its Economic Exclusion Zone/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

current situation:

• human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Barbados;
• foreign women are subject to sex trafficking;
• children are exploited in sex trafficking by parents and caregivers, according to anecdotal reports;
• documented and undocumented migrants from Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and Venezuela are at high risk for trafficking, while migrants from other nearby countries are increasingly vulnerable

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List — Barbados does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so;
• the government completed an anti-trafficking manual on assisting and interviewing victims, reinstated the anti-trafficking task force, and increased training for law enforcement and child care officials;
• however, authorities again did not identify any trafficking victims, reported no new prosecutions, and have never convicted anyone of trafficking;
• the national action plan has yet to be completed (2020)