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Introduction - Barbados
Background:
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves
worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery
was abolished. The 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 complete
independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing
surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
Geography - Barbados
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
country comparison to the world: 200
land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
97 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
Current Weather
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2005)
Irrigated land:
50 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
0.1 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.09 cu km/yr (33%/44%/22%)
per capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal
solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
easternmost Caribbean island
People - Barbados
Population:
285,653 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.1% (male 27,252/female 27,243)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 100,233/female 103,416)
65 years and over: 9.6% (male 10,708/female 16,801) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.2 years
male: 35.1 years
female: 37.2 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.374% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
Birth rate:
12.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Death rate:
8.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
Net migration rate:
-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
Urbanization:
urban population: 40% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.012 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.09 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 138
male: 13.42 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.14 years
country comparison to the world: 100
male: 71.88 years
female: 76.42 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.68 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
Nationality:
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic groups:
black 93%, white 3.2%, mixed 2.6%, East Indian 1%, other 0.2% (2000 census)
Religions:
Protestant 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%, Methodist 5.1%, other
11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian 7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified
20.6% (2008 est.)
Languages:
English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
6.9% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 24
Government - Barbados
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
Government type:
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
Independence:
30 November 1966 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution:
30 November 1966
Legal system:
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by
Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime
minister
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the
monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or
the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the
governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the
governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of
the opposition leader, and 7 at his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held on 15 January 2008 (next to be called
in 2013)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP
47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature consists of a High Court and a Court of Appeal
(judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal
Services); Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ is the highest court of appeal;
based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Political parties and leaders:
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David
THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados Union of
Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions and Staff
Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU)
[Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne
Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph
GODDARD]
International organization participation:
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM,
OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John BEALE
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d' Affaires D. Brent HARDT
embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 227-4399
FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and 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)
Economy - Barbados
Economy - overview:
Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and
related activities. However, in recent years the economy has diversified into
light industry and tourism with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports
being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by
increases in construction projects and tourism revenues, reflecting its success
in the higher-end segment, but the sector faced declining revenues in 2009 with
the global economic downturn. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita
incomes in the region. Offshore finance and information services are important
foreign exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US
financial centers and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government
continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign
investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The public
debt-to-GDP ratio rose to over 100% in 2009, largely because a sharp slowdown in
tourism and financial services led to a wide budget deficit.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.278 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
$5.43 billion (2008 est.)
$5.392 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.637 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-2.8% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
0.7% (2008 est.)
3.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$18,500 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
$19,200 (2008 est.)
$19,100 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 16%
services: 78% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
175,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 15%
services: 75% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10.7% (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)
Public debt:
NA (2009)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
Central bank discount rate:
10% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 23
12% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.03% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 80
10.8% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.637 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 97
$1.454 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$3.701 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 92
$3.835 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$4.554 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 88
$3.533 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 80
$4.964 billion (31 December 2008)
$5.599 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Industries:
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Industrial production growth rate:
-3.2% (2000 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
Electricity - production:
1.003 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
Electricity - consumption:
939.9 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
765 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
Oil - consumption:
9,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
Oil - exports:
1,750 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
Oil - imports:
10,390 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
Oil - proved reserves:
2.17 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
Natural gas - production:
29.17 million cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
Natural gas - consumption:
29.17 million cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 million cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
Current account balance:
-$254 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
Exports:
$385 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 171
Exports - commodities:
manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
electrical components
Exports - partners:
Trinidad and Tobago 17.48%, Jamaica 15.63%, US 8.93%, Saint Lucia 8.13%, UK
5.36%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.04%, Antigua and Barbuda 4.12% (2009)
Imports:
$1.586 billion (2006)
country comparison to the world: 159
Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel,
electrical components
Imports - partners:
Trinidad and Tobago 28.52%, US 27.96%, Colombia 7.13%, China 4.76%, UK 4.39%
(2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$620 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 138
Debt - external:
$668 million (2003)
country comparison to the world: 153
Exchange rates:
Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004),
2 (2003)
Communications - Barbados
Telephones - main lines in use:
150,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 132
Telephones - mobile cellular:
406,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 160
Telephone system:
general assessment: island-wide automatic telephone system
domestic: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular
telephone density approaching 150 per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-246; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber
System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern
Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth
stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and
Saint Lucia (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (2009)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)
Internet country code:
.bb
Internet hosts:
235 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 185
Internet users:
188,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 139
Transportation - Barbados
Airports:
1 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 231
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 1,600 km
country comparison to the world: 176
paved: 1,600 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 85
country comparison to the world: 53
by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 50, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1,
passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 80 (Canada 9, Greece 12, India 1, Iran 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 38,
Sweden 7, Syria 1, UK 9)
registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bridgetown
Military - Barbados
Military branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger requires parental
consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 74,418
females age 16-49: 74,450 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 58,532
females age 16-49: 58,542 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,897
female: 1,884 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.8% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 151
Military - note:
the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small
Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island
against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time
battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it
increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent
smuggling and other illicit activities (2007)
Transnational Issues - Barbados
Disputes - international:
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 (UNCLOS),
which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion
of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs:
one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and
the US; offshore financial center
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