Barbados Facts, Map, Population, GDP

Capital

Bridgetown

Population

304,139 (2024 est.)

Area

430 sq km

Location

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

🧭 Background

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.

🗺️ Geography

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area — total

430 sq km

Area — land

430 sq km

Area — water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries — total

0 km

Coastline

97 km

Maritime claims — territorial sea

12 nm

Maritime claims — exclusive economic zone

200 nm

Climate

Tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain

Relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Elevation — highest point

Mount Hillaby 336 m

Elevation — lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

Petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use — agricultural land

23.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: arable land

Arable land: 16.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent crops

Permanent crops: 2.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent pasture

Permanent pasture: 4.7% (2023 est.)

Land use — forest

14.7% (2023 est.)

Land use — other

62.1% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land

50 sq km (2012)

Population distribution

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

Natural hazards

Infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Geography - note

Easternmost Caribbean island

👥 People and Society⬆️ Top

Population — total

304,139 (2024 est.)

Population — male

146,587

Population — female

157,552

Nationality — noun

Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)

Nationality — adjective

Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

Ethnic groups

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

Languages

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

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.)

Age structure — 0-14 years

16.6% (male 25,273/female 25,284)

Age structure — 15-64 years

67% (male 100,328/female 103,536)

Age structure — 65 years and over

16.3% (2024 est.) (male 20,986/female 28,732)

Dependency ratios — total dependency ratio

49.2 (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios — youth dependency ratio

24.8 (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios — elderly dependency ratio

24.4 (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios — potential support ratio

4.1 (2024 est.)

Median age — total

42.2 years (2025 est.)

Median age — male

40.3 years

Median age — female

42.5 years

Population growth rate

-0.42% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Net migration rate

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

Population distribution

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

Urbanization — urban population

31.4% of total population (2023)

Urbanization — rate of urbanization

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

Major urban areas - population

89,000 BRIDGETOWN (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio — at birth

1.01 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 0-14 years

1 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 15-64 years

0.97 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 65 years and over

0.73 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — total population

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

Maternal mortality ratio

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

Infant mortality rate — total

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

Infant mortality rate — male

11.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Infant mortality rate — female

8.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth — total population

79 years (2024 est.)

Life expectancy at birth — male

76.3 years

Life expectancy at birth — female

81.8 years

Total fertility rate

1.24 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.62 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source — improved: total

Total: 98.5% of population (2022 est.)

Drinking water source — unimproved: total

Total: 1.5% of population (2022 est.)

Health expenditure — Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

8.1% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure — Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

8.7% of national budget (2022 est.)

Physician density

2.96 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

Hospital bed density

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

Sanitation facility access — improved: total

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access — unimproved: total

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

23.1% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita — total

9.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — beer

3.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — wine

1.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — spirits

4.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita — other alcohols

0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use — total

6.2% (2025 est.)

Tobacco use — male

11.4% (2025 est.)

Tobacco use — female

1.5% (2025 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

57.2% (2021 est.)

Education expenditure — Education expenditure (% GDP)

3.6% of GDP (2024 est.)

Education expenditure — Education expenditure (% national budget)

14.2% national budget (2025 est.)

🌿 Environment⬆️ Top

Environmental issues

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

International environmental agreements — 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

International environmental agreements — signed, but not ratified

None of the selected agreements

Climate

Tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Land use — agricultural land

23.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: arable land

Arable land: 16.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent crops

Permanent crops: 2.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent pasture

Permanent pasture: 4.7% (2023 est.)

Land use — forest

14.7% (2023 est.)

Land use — other

62.1% (2023 est.)

Urbanization — urban population

31.4% of total population (2023)

Urbanization — rate of urbanization

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

Carbon dioxide emissions — total emissions

1.348 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions — from coal and metallurgical coke

2 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions — from petroleum and other liquids

1.284 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions — from consumed natural gas

64,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

9.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Waste and recycling — municipal solid waste generated annually

174,800 tons (2024 est.)

Waste and recycling — percent of municipal solid waste recycled

10.6% (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal — municipal

20 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal — industrial

6.2 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal — agricultural

54.8 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total renewable water resources

80 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

🏛️ Government⬆️ Top

Country name — conventional long form

None

Country name — conventional short form

Barbados

Country name — 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

Government type

Parliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm

Capital — name

Bridgetown

Capital — geographic coordinates

13 06 N, 59 37 W

Capital — time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Capital — 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

Administrative divisions

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

Legal system

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Constitution — 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

Constitution — 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

International law organization participation

Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship — citizenship by birth

Yes

Citizenship — citizenship by descent only

Yes

Citizenship — dual citizenship recognized

Yes

Citizenship — residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch — chief of state

President Jeffrey Davidson BOSTIC (since 30 November 2025)

Executive branch — head of government

Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018)

Executive branch — cabinet

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

Executive branch — 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

Executive branch — most recent election date

7 October 2025

Executive branch — election results

Jeffrey Davidson BOSTIC elected as the country's second president

Executive branch — expected date of next election

NA

Legislative branch — legislature name

Parlement de Barbade (Parliament of Barbados)

Legislative branch — legislative structure

Bicameral

Legislative branch - lower chamber — chamber name

House of Assembly

Legislative branch - lower chamber — number of seats

30 (all directly elected)

Legislative branch - lower chamber — electoral system

Plurality/majority

Legislative branch - lower chamber — scope of elections

Full renewal

Legislative branch - lower chamber — term in office

5 years

Legislative branch - lower chamber — most recent election date

1/19/2022

Legislative branch - lower chamber — parties elected and seats per party

Barbados Labour Party (BLP) (30)

Legislative branch - lower chamber — percentage of women in chamber

26.7%

Legislative branch - lower chamber — expected date of next election

January 2027

Legislative branch - upper chamber — chamber name

Senate

Legislative branch - upper chamber — number of seats

21 (all appointed)

Legislative branch - upper chamber — scope of elections

Full renewal

Legislative branch - upper chamber — term in office

5 years

Legislative branch - upper chamber — most recent election date

2/4/2022

Legislative branch - upper chamber — percentage of women in chamber

33.3%

Legislative branch - upper chamber — expected date of next election

February 2027

Judicial branch — 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

Judicial branch — 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

Judicial branch — subordinate courts

Magistrates' Courts

Political parties

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

Diplomatic representation in the US — chief of mission

Ambassador Victor Anthony FERNANDES (since 18 September 2024)

Diplomatic representation in the US — chancery

2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation in the US — telephone

[1] (202) 939-9200

Diplomatic representation in the US — FAX

[1] (202) 332-7467

Diplomatic representation in the US — email address and website

Washington@foreign.gov.bb https://www.foreign.gov.bb/embassies-high-commissions-and-permanent-missions/

Diplomatic representation in the US — consulate(s) general

Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US — 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

Diplomatic representation from the US — embassy

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

Diplomatic representation from the US — mailing address

3120 Bridgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3120

Diplomatic representation from the US — telephone

(246) 227-4000

Diplomatic representation from the US — FAX

(246) 431-0179

Diplomatic representation from the US — email address and website

Bridgetownpublicaffairs@state.gov https://bb.usembassy.gov/

International organization participation

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

Independence

30 November 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Flag

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

National symbol(s)

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

National color(s)

Blue, yellow, black

National anthem(s) — title

"The National Anthem of Barbados"

National anthem(s) — lyrics/music

Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS

National anthem(s) — history

Adopted 1966

National heritage — total World Heritage Sites

1 (cultural)

National heritage — selected World Heritage Site locales

Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison

💹 Economy⬆️ Top

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

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$5.634 billion (2024 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$5.428 billion (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) — Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$5.214 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2024

3.8% (2024 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2023

4.1% (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate — Real GDP growth rate 2022

17.8% (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2024

$19,900 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2023

$19,200 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita — Real GDP per capita 2022

$18,500 (2022 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$7.165 billion (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

-0.5% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

9.8% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) — Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

4.1% (2019 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — agriculture

1.9% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — industry

13.2% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin — services

75.4% (2023 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — household consumption

75.6% (2022 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — government consumption

11.8% (2022 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — investment in fixed capital

16.5% (2022 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — investment in inventories

0.2% (2022 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — exports of goods and services

34.3% (2022 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use — imports of goods and services

-42.2% (2022 est.)

Agricultural products

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

Industries

Tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Industrial production growth rate

-1.3% (2023 est.)

Labor force

147,200 (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate — Unemployment rate 2024

7.6% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate — Unemployment rate 2023

7.9% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate — Unemployment rate 2022

8.4% (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) — total

23.7% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) — male

27.5% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) — female

19.6% (2024 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income — Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016

34.1 (2016 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share — lowest 10%

2.5% (2016 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share — highest 10%

25.8% (2016 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2023

1.3% of GDP (2023 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2022

1.4% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances — Remittances 2021

1.6% of GDP (2021 est.)

Budget — revenues

$1.269 billion (2015 est.)

Budget — expenditures

$1.664 billion (2015 est.)

Public debt — Public debt 2016

133.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

24.9% (of GDP) (2016 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2017

-$296.396 million (2017 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2016

-$452.39 million (2016 est.)

Current account balance — Current account balance 2015

-$98.732 million (2015 est.)

Exports — Exports 2017

$2.228 billion (2017 est.)

Exports — Exports 2016

$2.41 billion (2016 est.)

Exports — Exports 2015

$2.358 billion (2015 est.)

Exports - partners

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

Exports - commodities

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

Imports — Imports 2021

$2.12 billion (2021 est.)

Imports — Imports 2017

$2.213 billion (2017 est.)

Imports — Imports 2016

$2.238 billion (2016 est.)

Imports - partners

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

Imports - commodities

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold — Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$1.606 billion (2023 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold — Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$1.52 billion (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold — Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$1.673 billion (2021 est.)

Exchange rates — Currency

Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2024

2 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2023

2 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2022

2 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2021

2 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates — Exchange rates 2020

2 (2020 est.)

⚡ Energy⬆️ Top

Electricity access — electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

Electricity — installed generating capacity

320,000 kW (2023 est.)

Electricity — consumption

1.025 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity — transmission/distribution losses

64.586 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — fossil fuels

91.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — solar

7.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Electricity generation sources — biomass and waste

0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal — exports

4 metric tons (2023 est.)

Coal — imports

57 metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum — total petroleum production

2,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Petroleum — refined petroleum consumption

8,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Petroleum — crude oil estimated reserves

1.978 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas — production

7.957 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Natural gas — consumption

32.593 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Natural gas — imports

24.636 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Natural gas — proven reserves

113.267 million cubic meters (2021 est.)

Energy consumption per capita — Total energy consumption per capita 2023

68.293 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

📡 Communications⬆️ Top

Telephones - fixed lines — total subscriptions

121,000 (2022 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

43 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular — total subscriptions

323,482 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

115 (2022 est.)

Broadcast media

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)

Internet country code

.bb

Internet users — percent of population

80% (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions — total

106,000 (2022 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions — subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

37 (2022 est.)

🚚 Transportation⬆️ Top

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

8P

Airports

1 (2025)

Heliports

1 (2025)

Merchant marine — total

272 (2023)

Merchant marine — by type

Bulk carrier 90, general cargo 149, oil tanker 5, other 28

Ports — total ports

1 (2024)

Ports — large

0

Ports — medium

0

Ports — small

1

Ports — very small

0

Ports — ports with oil terminals

1

Ports — key ports

Bridgetown

🛡️ Military and Security⬆️ Top

Military and security forces

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

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2024

0.7% of GDP (2024 est.)

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2023

0.7% of GDP (2023 est.)

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2022

0.8% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2021

0.9% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military expenditures — Military Expenditures 2020

0.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

Approximately 600 active BDF personnel (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

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

Military service age and obligation

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

Military - note

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 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)

🌐 Transnational Issues⬆️ Top

Refugees and internally displaced persons — refugees

13 (2024 est.)

Trafficking in persons — 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/