About
Barbados – Our Story
T
his is our story – a whirlwind introduction to our island. Giving you a flavour of who we are, where we’ve come from, and where we’re going.
Fast Facts
Land area :
430 sq km (166 sq miles)
Location:
Most easterly Caribbean island, 13.1°N, 59.32°W.
Time zone:
GMT-4 hours
(no daylight saving time)
climate:
Tropical, average daytime high,
21°-30°C (70°-85°F)
relative humidity 60-70%
Capital city:
Bridgetown
Fun Facts
Barbados is actually surrounded by the
Atlantic Ocean, not the Caribbean Sea.
The island was once called
Los
Barbados
named after bearded fig trees, but that
clearly didn’t stick. Today you’ll hear Bajans use
the affectionate nickname
'Bim'
Barbados boasts over
3,000
hours of sunshine a year.
Political Status:
Independent Member of the
British Commonwealth
Government:
Parliamentary Republic
President:
Her Excellency The Most Honourable
Dame Sandra Mason, FB, GCMG, DA, SC, LLD
Prime Minister:
The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, SC, MP
Language:
English
Literacy Rate:
99.6%
UNDP Human Development Index 2023-24:
62nd of 193 countries;
11th in Americas
Fun Facts
Barbados has the third oldest parliament
in the Commonwealth.
We are the only Caribbean nation never to
have been invaded by a foreign power.
English is the official langauge, but you’ll
hear lots of Bajan, an English-based creole
with African influences.
Population 2023 (est):
265,332
Population growth rate 2022:
-0.6%
Infant mortality rate 2022:
8.48 per 1,000 births
Life Expectancy:
79 years
Labour force December 2023 (est):
134,300
Unemployment rate 2023:
7.9%
Fun Facts
One of our most famous daughters of the
soil is international Grammy-award
winning musician, actress,
fashion-designer and businesswoman
Rihanna
(Robyn Rihanna Fenty), who in 2021 was
declared a National Hero of Barbados.
Another world-renowed Bajan, who also
has National Hero status, is
Sir Garfield
Sobers
aruably the world’s greatest living cricket legend.
GDP (market prices) 2022 (P):
US$5.69 billion
Per capita GDP 2022 (P):
US$18,150
%annual inflation rate 2023:
5%
Major Industires:
Tourism, financial services,sugar,
agriculture and manufacturing
Major trading partners:
CARICOM, USA, UK, Canada,
Germany, Japan
Imports 2021:
US$950 million
(excludes petroleum imports)
Domestic exports 2021:
US$104 million
(excludes petroleum exports)
Tourist arrivals 2022:
540,000
Currency:
Barbados dollar,fixed at
Bds us
$2.00=US$1.00
Measures:
Metric system
Fun Facts
Barbados is recognised as the birthplace
of rum.
Mount Gay
Distilleries
has been around since 1703 and produces
the oldest rum in the world.
And we have over
1,500
rum shops
to sample them at.
Our national colours are ultramarine, gold and black,
but the future of Barbados is green. We are
committed to renewable energy and the
government has an ambitious
target for all of our energy to come
from renewable sources by 2030.
There are twelve paid public holidays in Barbados each year . Where a public holiday
falls on a Sunday, the holiday is celebrated on the following day.
The following holidays will be celebrated in 2024:
| New Year's Day | January 1 |
| Errol Barrow Day | January 21 |
| Good Friday | March 29 |
| Easter Monday | April 1 |
| National Heroes Day | April 28 |
| Labour Day | May 1 |
| Whit Monday | May 20 |
| Emancipation Day | August 1 |
| Kadooment Day | August 5 |
| Independence Day | November 30 |
| Christmas Day | December 25 |
| Boxing Day | December 26 |