Barbados — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Barbados: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Barbados is a parliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm in Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela. It covers 430 sq km. Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region. Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October).
| Capital | Bridgetown |
|---|---|
| Population | 304,139 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $5.634 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $19,900 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 3.8% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | -0.5% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 7.6% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 133.2% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $2.228 billion (2017 est.) |
| Imports | $2.12 billion (2021 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 79 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 42.2 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 31.4% of total population (2023) |
| Government | parliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm |
| Independence | 30 November 1966 (from the UK) |
| Languages | English (official), Bajan (English-based creole language, widely spoken in informal settings) |
Barbados’s GDP is $5.634 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $7.165 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 3.8% (2024 est.). See where Barbados ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A quiet quarter: no major shocks, no breakthroughs. The country's trajectory is set by structural forces larger than any single season.
The honest reading is steadiness — neither crisis nor windfall — with the long currents of demography, trade and institutions deciding more than any three months.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 0.5%
- What drags it down: public debt above 133% of GDP — the budget's ball and chain; only 8% of electricity from low-carbon sources
Oil, Natural gas.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 91.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 7.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 68.293 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 5.7 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 1.1 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 20,017 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Oil 89.1%, Solar 8.2%, Gas 2.7% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 8.2% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 600.0 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $2.228 billion (2017 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $2.12 billion (2021 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $108.0 million (2017), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Mia Mottley — Prime Minister. President Jeffrey Davidson BOSTIC (since 30 November 2025)
Barbados maintains 13 embassies and 3 consulates abroad, hosts 10 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, OAS Washington. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 13 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 3 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 10 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, OAS Washington |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, diplomatic & consular networks database, Mar 2026 report (of-country ranking) https://zenodo.org/records/18917562 ; Jan 2026 report (in-country ranking) https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 97 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 1 + 1 heliports (registration prefix 8P) |
| Major seaports | Bridgetown |
| Pipelines | 33 km gas, 64 km oil, 6 km refined products (2013) |
Major airports
Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) — Bridgetown.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Barbados.
Historical timeline of Barbados
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Barbados — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Barbados's power score?
Barbados has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.