Barbados

Broadcast media

government-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) operates the lone terrestrial TV station; CBC also operates a multi-channel cable TV subscription service; roughly a dozen radio stations, consisting of a CBC-operated network operating alongside privately owned radio stations (2007)

Internet country code

.bb

Internet hosts

1,524 (2012) country comparison to the world: 167

Internet users

188,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 143

Telephone system

general assessment: island-wide automatic telephone system domestic: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density approaching 125 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 (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

144,000 (2012) country comparison to the world: 137

Telephones - mobile cellular

347,000 (2012) country comparison to the world: 172

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Budget

revenues: $1.15 billion (2013 est.) expenditures: $1.45 billion (2013 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-7% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 186

Central bank discount rate

7% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 7% (31 December 2009 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

8.5% (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 105 8.7% (31 December 2012 est.)

Current account balance

-$276.6 million (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 90 -$204.4 million (2012 est.)

Debt - external

$4.49 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 124 $668 million (2003 est.)

Economy - overview

Barbados is the wealthiest and most developed country in the Eastern Caribbean and enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in Latin America. 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 90.5% in 2013. Growth prospects are limited because of a weak tourism outlook and planned austerity measures.

Exchange rates

Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - 2 (2013 est.) 2 (2012 est.) 2 (2010 est.) note: the Barbadian dollar is pegged to the US dollar

Exports

$1.051 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 159 $1.039 billion (2012 est.)

Exports - commodities

manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components

Exports - partners

Trinidad and Tobago 20.8%, US 11.9%, St. Lucia 9.7%, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 6%, Jamaica 5.6%, Antigua and Barbuda 4.9%, St. Kitts and Nevis 4.6%, UK 4.4% (2012)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP (official exchange rate)

$4.262 billion (2013 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$7.004 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 162 $7.056 billion (2012 est.) $7.056 billion (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 81.7% government consumption: 15.4% investment in fixed capital: 14.3% investment in inventories: 1.9% exports of goods and services: 40.5% imports of goods and services: -53.8% (2013 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 3.1% industry: 13.9% services: 83% (2013 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$25,100 (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 60 $25,400 (2012 est.) $25,400 (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

-0.8% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 203 0% (2012 est.) 0.8% (2011 est.)

Gross national saving

9% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 140 9.4% of GDP (2012 est.) 3.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$1.674 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 169 $1.584 billion (2012 est.)

Imports - commodities

consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components

Imports - partners

Trinidad and Tobago 35.9%, US 26.9%, China 5.6% (2012)

Industrial production growth rate

-0.7% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 172

Industries

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.1% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 72 4.8% (2012 est.)

Labor force

141,800 (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 179

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 10% industry: 15% services: 75% (1996 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$4.495 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $NA (31 December 2011) $4.366 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

90.5% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 21 85.6% of GDP (2012 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$712.6 million (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 145 $839.7 million (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of broad money

$4.229 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 133 $4.198 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$5.035 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 113 $4.874 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$1.749 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 131 $1.711 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

27% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 110

Unemployment rate

11.4% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 119 11.6% (2012 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

1.442 million Mt (2011 est.)

Crude oil - exports

764.5 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 70

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 156

Crude oil - production

1,001 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 108

Crude oil - proved reserves

2.26 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 96

Electricity - consumption

986 million kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 151

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 101

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 5

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 156

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 44

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 154

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 117

Electricity - installed generating capacity

239,000 kW (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 158

Electricity - production

1.002 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 145

Natural gas - consumption

20 million cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 111

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 156

Natural gas - production

20 million cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 88

Natural gas - proved reserves

113.3 million cu m (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 106

Refined petroleum products - consumption

8,339 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 157

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 150

Refined petroleum products - imports

8,736 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 134

Refined petroleum products - production

31 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 115

Area

total: 430 sq km country comparison to the world: 202 land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Coastline

97 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.1 cu km/yr (20%/26%/54%) per capita: 371.3 cu m/yr (2009)

Geographic coordinates

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Geography - note

easternmost Caribbean island

Irrigated land

54.35 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 27.91% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 69.77% (2011)

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Terrain

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Total renewable water resources

0.08 cu km (2011)

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

Capital

name: Bridgetown geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Constitution

adopted 22 November 1966, effective 30 November 1966; amended several times, last in 2003 (2011)

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Larry L. PALMER (since 9 May 2012); 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, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006 mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; (Department Name) Unit 3120, DPO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 227-4000 FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador John E. BEALE (since 29 January 2009) 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

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Elliot BELGRAVE (since 1 June 2012) head of government: Prime Minister Freundel STUART (since 23 October 2010) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister (For more information visit theWorld 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

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)

Government type

parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Independence

30 November 1966 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the High Court with 8 justices) and the Court of Appeal (consists of the chief Justice and president of the court and 4 justices note - Barbados, a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice, replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) as the final court of appeal judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the governor-general on the recommendation of the prime minister and opposition leader of Parliament; other justices appointed by the governor-general 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 governor-general appointees recommended by the prime minister; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 65 subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts

Legal system

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

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 21 February 2013 (next to be called in 2018) 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

National anthem

name: "The National Anthem of Barbados"

National holiday

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

National symbol(s)

Neptune's trident

Political parties and leaders

Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR] 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] 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 [Linda BROOKS] Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG] National Union of Public Workers [Walter MALONEY]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. African 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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 73,820 females age 16-49: 73,835 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 58,125 females age 16-49: 58,016 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 1,842 female: 1,849 (2010 est.)

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 island defense against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre deployed throughout the island; the cadre increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline for smuggling and other illicit activities (2007)

Military branches

Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2011)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service, or earlier with parental consent; no conscription (2013)

Age structure

0-14 years: 18.4% (male 26,709/female 26,716) 15-24 years: 13.6% (male 19,705/female 19,754) 25-54 years: 45% (male 64,821/female 65,394) 55-64 years: 12.5% (male 16,837/female 19,286) 65 years and over: 10.5% (male 12,068/female 18,390) (2014 est.)

Birth rate

11.97 births/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 166

Death rate

8.41 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 82

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 42.6 % youth dependency ratio: 26.8 % elderly dependency ratio: 15.8 % potential support ratio: 6.3 (2014 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 99.8% of population rural: 99.8% of population total: 99.8% of population unimproved: urban: 0.2% of population rural: 0.2% of population total: 0.2% of population (2012 est.)

Education expenditures

5.6% of GDP (2012) country comparison to the world: 54

Ethnic groups

black 92.4%, white 2.7%, mixed 3.1%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.2%, unspecified 0.2% (2010 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.9% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 49

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1,500 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 140

Health expenditures

7.7% of GDP (2011) country comparison to the world: 68

Hospital bed density

6.6 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Infant mortality rate

total: 10.93 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 132 male: 12.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.99 years country comparison to the world: 102 male: 72.64 years female: 77.37 years (2014 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.)

Major urban areas - population

BRIDGETOWN (capital) 122,000 (2011)

Maternal mortality rate

51 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 106

Median age

total: 37.6 years male: 36.5 years female: 38.7 years (2014 est.)

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 125

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

34.7% (2008) country comparison to the world: 14

Physicians density

1.81 physicians/1,000 population (2005)

Population

289,680 (July 2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 181

Population growth rate

0.33% (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 169

Religions

Protestant 66.3% (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 .8%), 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.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 91.6% of population rural: 91.6% of population total: 91.6% of population unimproved: urban: 8.4% of population rural: 8.4% of population total: 8.4% of population (2006 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 17 years (2011)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.68 children born/woman (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 174

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 26.2% country comparison to the world: 38 male: 24.1% female: 28.7% (2003)

Urbanization

urban population: 44.4% of total population (2011) rate of urbanization: 1.35% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

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, which permits Venezuela to extend its Economic Exclusion Zone/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

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Barbados is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; legal and illegal female migrants from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Guyana seem most vulnerable to forced prostitution; Barbadian and immigrant children are prostituted in exchange for material goods; in the past, foreigners are reported to have been forced to work in the domestic service, agriculture, and construction industries tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Barbados does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the country was granted a waiver of an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because the government adopted a national action plan on human trafficking that specifies implementing agencies and addresses prosecution, protection, and prevention measures; the government conducted at least two sex trafficking investigations in 2012, as opposed to none in the previous year but did not report any prosecutions or convictions of trafficking offenses; Barbadian law does not appear to prohibit all forms of human trafficking and does not prescribe sufficiently stringent penalties; government efforts to prevent human trafficking included broadcasting short public awareness messages, holding town hall meetings, and funding a hotline (2013)

Airports

1 (2013) country comparison to the world: 236

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 109 country comparison to the world: 49 by type: bulk carrier 23, cargo 52, chemical tanker 13, container 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 83 (Canada 11, Greece 14, Iran 5, Lebanon 2, Norway 38, Sweden 4, Syria 1, Turkey 1, UAE 1, UK 6) (2010)

Pipelines

gas 33 km; oil 64 km; refined products 6 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Bridgetown

Roadways

total: 1,600 km country comparison to the world: 176 paved: 1,600 km (2011)