Barbados

Region: Central America and Caribbean

Official language: English

Population: 304,139 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) (noun), Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial) (adjective)

Land area: 430 sq km (166 sq miles)

Capital: Bridgetown

National anthem: "The National Anthem of Barbados", by Irving Burgie/C. Van Roland Edwards

National holiday: Independence Day, November 30 (1966)

Population growth: 0.23% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC –4

Flag: The flag of Barbados is comprised of three equal, vertical stripes of blue, gold, and blue. A broken trident adorns the golden center stripe and symbolizes the end of the country’s colonial past. The blue of the flag represents the sea and the gold represents the color of the country’s sand.

Motto: “Pride and Industry”

Independence: November 30, 1966 (from the UK)

Government type: parliamentary republic and a Commonwealth realm

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Barbados is an independent nation located between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The easternmost of the Caribbean islands, Barbados is part of the Lesser Antilles island chain.

Throughout its history, several peoples have had a presence on Barbados, but Indigenous groups were largely wiped out after the arrival of the Spanish in the Americas. The island became a British colony in the 1620s and eventually developed into a hub of the sugar trade, reliant on enslaved Africans for labor into the 1830s. Barbados gained its independence in 1966 and is now a popular tourist destination and one of the most developed countries in the Caribbean.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Barbados is one of the most densely populated nations in the Caribbean region. Although much of the landscape is rural, about a third of the population (31.4 percent according to 2023 estimates) lives in urban areas.

Bridgetown, the capital, is located in the southwest corner of the island. It is the largest population center, with about 89,000 inhabitants in 2018. Other notable towns include Speightstown in the northwest, Oistins in the south, and Holetown in the west.

When the British colonized Barbados, they populated the island with wealthy families from England, as well as enslaved Africans and indentured servants. Today, descendants of all three groups still call Barbados home. The majority of Barbados's population—92.4 percent at the 2010 census—is of African descent; most of the island's Black population descends from West Africans who were enslaved and brought there to work on sugar plantations. An estimated 2.7 percent of Barbadians were White, 1.3 percent were East Indian, and 3.1 percent were mixed race in 2010.

English, the country's official language, has been widely adopted by the population, with few exceptions. Bajan, or Barbadian Creole English, is commonly spoken in informal situations.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Barbados's HDI value for 2022 is 0.809— which put the country in the Very High human development category—positioning it at 62 out of 193 countries and territories.The index measures quality-of-life indicators.

Indigenous People: Indigenous people from the northern mainland of South America migrated to Barbados sometime between 1623 BCE and 400 CE, navigating the strong currents of the Atlantic Ocean in dugout canoes. There may have been multiple waves of settlement on the island, but archaeological evidence of these early inhabitants is scarce.

The Arawak people arrived in the early ninth century and named the island Ichirouganaim. In the early thirteenth century, the Carib people arrived, possibly displacing the earlier native population. However, it is unclear to what degree the Caribs established permanent settlements on Barbados.

European explorers began reaching Barbados in the early sixteenth century. The island was named by the Portuguese, who visited but did not establish a colony. The Spanish Empire enslaved many Indigenous people throughout the region; the combination of slavery and introduced European diseases wiped out the Carib population. The Spanish abandoned Barbados in search of larger Caribbean islands, paving the way for the British Empire to begin colonizing the uninhabited island in 1627.

Education: Barbados has a very high literacy rate, estimated at 99.6 percent of those over the age of fifteen in 2014. Barbadians benefit from free tuition and textbooks at all levels of education.

Education is modeled after the British system and is free and compulsory for children between the ages of five and sixteen. Barbados has about eighty public (government-run) primary schools and around twenty public secondary schools. There are also a number of both fully private and government-assisted private primary and secondary schools.

Beyond the secondary level, students may attend one of the island's community, technical, vocational, or teacher-training colleges. Barbados is also home to the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies, established in 1963, and the American University of Barbados.

Health Care: Barbadians enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the region. The average infant mortality rate is 9.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, and the average life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years for females and 76.3 years for men (2024 estimates).

The modern Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown is the largest medical facility on the island. Government-run clinics throughout the island provide basic care at no charge. In the past, Barbados has struggled with shortages of medical staff and supplies and with providing care for people in remote areas. In recent years, however, the quality of care received by all Barbadians has improved.

Food: The cuisine of Barbados has been influenced not only by its historical inhabitants but also by the various seafarers who stopped at the island during the course of their travels. Typically, Barbadian food includes elements of English, African, and Indian culture.

Many Barbadian dishes are seasoned with thyme, a by-product of the island's British colonial period. The African influence can be seen in such dishes as cou-cou, made with cornmeal and okra, and jug-jug, a stew of meat, pigeon peas, and cornmeal that is traditionally served at Christmas. Roti, a curry stew wrapped in flat bread, and conkies, a blend of cornmeal, sweet potatoes, and other sweet ingredients steamed in banana leaves, are some of India's contributions to the local cuisine.

Seafood is a large part of Barbadian food. The flying fish is such a large part of the local culture that it has become a symbol for the tourism industry. This widely popular fish is prepared in fancy restaurants and may also be found in sandwiches at beach-side fish shops. The island is also famous for its rum and rum punch.

Arts & Entertainment: Music is an important part of Barbadian culture. The influence of the island's West African population is evident in the calypso, soca, and gospel traditions. The musical genre known as tuk combines English and African traditions into a rhythmic waltz. Spouge is a type of Caribbean music native to Barbados, and features cowbells, mandolins, and other unique instruments.

Two of Barbados's most famous writers are novelist George Lamming and poet Edward Kamau Brathwaite, both of whom have examined the influence of colonization on the West Indies in their work. Well-known Barbadian artists include painter and actor John W. F. Walcott and painter Winston Kellman.

The island's most popular event, the Crop Over Festival, originated as a celebration of the sugarcane harvest, an integral part of Barbados's history. Celebrated all over the island for three weeks beginning in July, the festival includes fairs and calypso music competitions, and ends with a costume parade on the first Monday in August.

Other Barbadian festivals include February's Holetown Festival, a week-long celebration of the English settlement of the island. The Oistins Fish Festival, held during Easter, features competitions and arts-and-crafts displays.

Another product of Barbados's colonial past is cricket, the national sport.

Holidays: Barbados celebrates its Independence Day on November 30. Other national holidays observed in Barbados include Errol Barrow Day (January 21), which commemorates the role of the country's first prime minister in gaining Barbadian independence. Heroes Day is celebrated in April. In August, Barbadians commemorate Emancipation Day and Kadooment Day, marking the end of the Crop Over Festival.

Environment and Geography

Topography: Barbados is characterized by flat terrain on the outer edges of the island, with hills and highlands in the center. The island's highest point is at the peak of Mount Hillaby, 336 meters (1,102 feet) above sea level.

At its widest point, Barbados measures 23 kilometers (14 miles) across. The island is 34 kilometers (21 miles) long; the coastline measures 97 kilometers (60 miles).

Because the island consists of layers of coral on top of sedimentary rock, many underground waterways have formed in the porous coral, the most famous of which is a popular tourist attraction known as Harrison's Cave.

Coral surrounds nearly the entire island, preventing Barbados from having a natural deepwater harbor. The east coast is not as inviting as the clear, tranquil waters found off the west coast, but both have white sand beaches.

Natural Resources: Barbados's chief natural resources are petroleum, fish, and natural gas. Though sugarcane was historically a major export, production has declined significantly since the 1990s, largely supplanted in economic importance by tourism and manufacturing.

Heavy tourist traffic has come at an environmental price. Waste disposal from large cruise ships has caused water pollution, leading to the deterioration of the coral reef. The island is also experiencing erosion problems due to the clearing of land for agriculture. The government has taken steps to preserve the integrity of the coral reef by creating a marine reserve.

Plants & Animals: Many species of birds can be seen on Barbados; however, most species are migratory, and very few make their nests on the island. Barbados is a common stopping-off point for many North American species that fly to South America for the winter. Nearly two hundred species of birds are commonly sighted, from herons and egrets to finches and hummingbirds.

Mammals introduced to the island range from the exotic green monkey and mongoose to the common mouse and rat. There are also a host of reptiles and amphibians and eight species of bats.

Most of Barbados's natural rainforest has been cleared, but small sections do still exist. While the island is known for its lush gardens and beautiful flowers, there is not much native vegetation left. One native tree that visitors should be wary of is the manchineel, which bears small, green poisonous apples. Warning signs advise people not to stand under these trees while it is raining, as water dripping from these apples can blister the skin.

Climate: Barbados has a warm tropical climate, with fairly consistent temperatures year-round. The average temperature ranges between 20 degrees and 30 degrees Celsius (70 degrees and 90 degrees Fahrenheit). Relief from the intense tropical sun is offered by the sea breezes that cross the island.

The dry season lasts from December until May. July typically sees the most rainfall, and the central plateau receives more precipitation than the coast. Average annual rainfall is between 1,270 and 1,900 millimeters (50 and 75 inches).

Economy

The economy of Barbados relies primarily on tourism, light manufacturing, and sugarcane processing. Offshore banking is a growing economic sector. The gross domestic product (GDP, purchasing power parity) was estimated at US$4.92 billion, or US$17,400 per capita, in 2023. This represented a significant decline from the late 2010s, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which greatly impacted tourism and other industries. Unemployment was estimated at 7.95 percent of the workforce in 2023.

Barbados is a member of two trade organizations, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Association of Caribbean States.

Industry: Barbados, having very few natural resources, has sought to diversify its economy through the industrial sector. Industry accounted for 13.1 percent of the GDP in 2023, a dramatic increase from the recent past. The island's light industry focuses on the manufacture and assembly of electronics and plastics. Other industries include clothing and furniture.

Rum and molasses are produced for export from the island's sugarcane crop. Barbados's main trading partners include the United States, Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Agriculture: Once the mainstay of the Barbadian economy, agriculture contributed only 1.4 percent to the 2023 GDP. Sugarcane production, the backbone of island agriculture, has steadily declined over the decades. The government has worked to restructure the industry, including increasing production of the crop for domestic use as well as implementing more renewable energy.

Other agricultural products include cotton, vegetables, and livestock such as sheep, cattle, and goats. Much of the land formerly used for agriculture has been sold to tourism interests.

Tourism: The services sector in Barbados accounted for an estimated 88.7 percent of the 2017 GDP. Much of this is related to the tourism industry, the nation's major contributor of capital. While tourism contracted sharply in 2020, due in large part to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry began to recover in the following years.

Bridgetown, the country's capital and largest population center, is located on Carlisle Bay. Although it is not a tourist hub, it offers a blend of modern and colonial architecture. St. Lawrence, southeast of Bridgetown, is a popular tourist destination thanks to its luxurious scenery.

Holetown, the island's oldest city, is popular among tourists interested in water sports. Sam Lord's Castle offers visitors a sampling of paintings, architecture, antiques, and folklore.

Government

Barbados is a parliamentary republic. The government transitioned from a parliamentary monarchy to a parliamentary republic in November 2021, which officially removed Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning English monarch, as the country's head of state. The former governor-general Sandra Mason was elected the new republic's first president. The 1966 constitution, in place from independence, was amended but plans were made to create a new constitution.

Despite the country's independence from Great Britain in 1966, the government has retained many English influences. It also remained with the Commonwealth of Nations, a group of former British colonies and other countries.

The president is elected to a renewable four-year term by an electoral college process in parliament. After legislative elections have been held, the president usually appoints the leader of the majority party to be the prime minister, who serves as head of government and advises the president (chief of state) on the appointment of the cabinet. The prime minister in turn appoints the deputy prime minister.

The Parliament of Barbados consists of the Senate and the House of Assembly. The twenty-one members of the Senate are appointed to five-year terms by the president; seven are picked fully at the president's discretion, twelve with the advice of the prime minister, and two with the advice of the opposition leader. The thirty seats of the House of Assembly are elected by popular vote to five-year terms.

Local magistrates' courts in the six jurisdictional districts on the island are responsible for hearing all cases. Above the magistrates' courts is the Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The final court of appeal, beginning in 2005, is the Caribbean Court of Justice.

Interesting Facts

• When the British first settled Barbados, the island was a dense tropical rainforest with a very large population of wild pigs.
• Mongooses were brought to Barbados to control the rat population, but the nocturnal rats were able to avoid the mongooses, which ate the island's snakes instead.
• The name Barbados is believed to come from the Portuguese phrase as barbadas—"the bearded ones"—after Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos visited the island in the sixteenth century and was struck by its large population of giant bearded fig trees.
• In 2020, Barbados launched a remote work visa program that would allow those who earn over fifty thousand dollars a year to live and work from the island for up to twelve months.
• Barbadian pop star Rihanna was named an ambassador of Barbados in 2018 and a national hero in 2022 during the ceremony celebrating the country's transition to a republic.

Bibliography

"Barbados." Institute for Statistics, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2020, uis.unesco.org/country/BB?=undefined&wbdisable=true. Accessed 24 Aug. 2020.

"Barbados." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/barbados/. Accessed 16 Jan 2025.

"Barbados Becomes a Republic and Parts Ways with the Queen." BBC, 13 May 2024, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59470843. Accessed 16 Jan 2025.

"Human Development Insights." UNDP Human Development Reports, 13 March 2024, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 16 Jan 2025.