Barbados Population: 291,495


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Easternmost Caribbean island
Geographic coordinates: 13 10 N, 59 32 W
Area: total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Size comparison: 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: tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land use: agricultural land: 32.6% arable land 25.6%; permanent crops 2.3%; permanent pasture 4.7% forest: 19.4%
other: 48% (2011 est.)
Irrigated land: 50 sq km (2012)
Natural hazards: infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic groups: black 92.4%, white 2.7%, mixed 3.1%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.2%, unspecified 0.2% (2010 est.)
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.)
Population: 291,495 (July 2016 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.13% (male 26,421/female 26,434)
15-24 years: 13.03% (male 18,888/female 19,083)
25-54 years: 44.35% (male 64,430/female 64,842)
55-64 years: 13.18% (male 18,036/female 20,396)
65 years and over: 11.31% (male 13,216/female 19,749) (2016 est.)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 50.4%
youth dependency ratio: 29.1%
elderly dependency ratio: 21.3%
potential support ratio: 4.7% (2015 est.)
Median age: total: 38.3 years
male: 37.2 years
female: 39.4 years (2016 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.3% (2016 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 31.5% of total population (2015)
Major urban areas - population: BRIDGETOWN (capital) 90,000 (2014)
0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate: total: 10.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.3 years male: 73 years
female: 77.7 years (2016 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.68 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Health expenditures: 7.5% of GDP (2014)
Physicians density: 1.81 physicians/1,000 population (2005)
Hospital bed density: 6.2 beds/1,000 population (2012)
Drinking water source: improved:
urban: 99.7% of population
rural: 99.7% of population
total: 99.7% of population

urban: 0.3% of population
rural: 0.3% of population
total: 0.3% of population (2015 est.)
Sanitation facility access: improved:
urban: 96.2% of population
rural: 96.2% of population
total: 96.2% of population

urban: 3.8% of population
rural: 3.8% of population
total: 3.8% of population (2015 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.57% (2015 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (2015 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 33.2% (2014)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.5% (2012)
Education expenditures: 6.7% of GDP (2014)
female: 17 years (2011)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: total: 29.6% male: 27.7%
female: 31.9% (2013 est.)
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Country name: 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
Capital: name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
Independence: 30 November 1966 (from the UK)
National holiday: Emancipation Day, 1 August (1834); Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution: adopted 22 November 1966, effective 30 November 1966; amended several times, last in 2007 (2016)
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal


Legislative branch: description: 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 the discretion of the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)


election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 51.3%, BLP 48.3%, other 0.4%; seats by party - DLP 16, BLP 14

subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts
Political parties and leaders: Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY] Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Freundel STUART] People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Mary REDMAN] Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Karen BEST] Barbados Workers Union or BWU [Linda BROOKS] Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG] Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN] National Union of Public Workers or NUPW [Walter MALONEY]
National symbol(s): Neptune's trident, pelican, Red Bird of Paradise flower (also known as Pride of Barbados); national colors: blue, yellow, black
National anthem: name: "The National Anthem of Barbados"
lyrics/music: Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ad interim Jane E. BRATHWAITE
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Linda S. TAGLIALATELA (since 1 February 2016) note - also accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
embassy: U.S. Embassy Road, Bridgetown 14006, Barbados
telephone: [1] (246) 227-4000
FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179
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Barbados is the wealthiest and most developed country in the Eastern Caribbean and enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region. 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 four-fifths of GDP and of exports being attributed to services. 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. Barbados' tourism, financial services, and construction industries have been hard hit since the onset of the global economic crisis in 2008. Barbados' public debt-to-GDP ratio rose from 56% in 2008 to 101% in 2015. Growth prospects are limited because of a weak tourism outlook and planned austerity measures.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.804 billion (2016 est.) $4.724 billion (2015 est.) $4.682 billion (2014 est.)

note: data are in 2016 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate): GDP (official exchange rate): $4.473 billion (2015 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.7% (2016 est.) 0.9% (2015 est.) 0.2% (2014 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): GDP - per capita (PPP): $17,200 (2016 est.) $16,900 (2015 est.) $16,800 (2014 est.)

note: data are in 2016 dollars
Gross national saving: 9.1% of GDP (2016 est.) 6.8% of GDP (2015 est.) 3.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 82.5%
government consumption: 14.3%
investment in fixed capital: 14.4%
investment in inventories: 3.2%
exports of goods and services: 35.1%
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: household consumption: 82.5%
government consumption: 14.3%
investment in fixed capital: 14.4%
investment in inventories: 3.2%
exports of goods and services: 35.1%
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Labor force: 142,500 (2016 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 10%
industry: 15%
services: 75% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11% (2016 est.) 11.3% (2015 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget: revenues: $1.2 billion (2013 est.)
expenditures: $1.5 billion (2016 est.)
Taxes and other revenues: 26.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
Public debt: 108.9% of GDP (2016 est.) 106.9% of GDP (2015 est.)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (2016 est.) -1.1% (2015 est.)
Current account balance: -$238 million (2016 est.) -$315 million (2015 est.)
Exports: $466.7 million (2016 est.) $482.9 million (2015 est.)
Exports - commodities: manufactures, sugar, molasses, rum, other foodstuffs and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
Exports - partners: Trinidad and Tobago 22.5%, US 11.8%, St. Lucia 9.2%, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 5.7%, Antigua and Barbuda 4.7%, St. Kitts and Nevis 4.4%, Guyana 4.2% (2015)
Imports: $1.575 billion (2016 est.) $1.618 billion (2015 est.)
Imports - partners: Trinidad and Tobago 39%, US 31.1% (2015)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $608.1 million (31 December 2016 est.) $657.5 million (31 December 2015 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares: $4.495 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $4.571 billion (31 December 2011 est.) $4.366 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - 2 (2016 est.) 2 (2015 est.) 2 (2014 est.) 2 (2013 est.) 2 (2012 est.) note: the Barbadian dollar is pegged to the US dollar
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Electricity - production: 900 million kWh (2014 est.)
Electricity - consumption: 900 million kWh (2014 est.)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Crude oil - exports: 764.5 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil - proved reserves: 2.53 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Refined petroleum products - consumption: 12,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports: 11,490 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 20 million cu m (2014 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 113.3 million cu m (1 January 2016 es)
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy: 1.3 million Mt (2013 est.)
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Cellular Phones in use: total: 335,000 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 115 (July 2015 est.)
Telephone system: general assessment: island-wide automatic telephone system

domestic: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 55 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density about 115 per 100 persons

Internet country code: .bb
Internet users: total: 221,000 percent of population: 76.1% (July 2015 est.)
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Airports: 1 (2013)
Airports (paved runways): total 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2013)
Roadways: total 1,600 km
paved: 1,600 km (2011)
Merchant marine: total 109


Ports and terminals: major seaport(s): Bridgetown
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   Source: CIA - The World Factbook

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