Barbados: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 22, 2025

News •

Barbados peeved at UK travel advisory • Dec. 19, 2025, 2:03 AM ET (Trinidad Guardian)

Garner receives Barbados’ Order of Freedom • Nov. 30, 2025, 10:47 PM ET (The Gleaner)

Why tiny Barbados said goodbye to the royal family • Nov. 30, 2025, 12:27 AM ET (ABC News (Australia))

Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Mia Mottley
Capital	Bridgetown
Population	(2025 est.) 264,300
Head Of State	President: Dame Sandra Mason
Form Of Government	parliamentary republic with two legislative houses (Senate [21¹]; House of Assembly [30])
Official Language	English
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Barbados
Total Area (Sq Km)	432
Total Area (Sq Mi)	167
Monetary Unit	Barbados dollar (Bds$)
Population Rank	(2025) 188
Population Projection 2030	289,400
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 1,582.6
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 611.8
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2024) 31.5% • Rural: (2024) 68.5%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2022) 75.8 years • Female: (2022) 81.4 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (1980) 100% • Female: (1980) 100%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 6,456
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 22,870
¹Twelve senators are appointed by the prime minister, seven by the president, and two by the leader of the opposition.