World Factbook
Barbados
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Languages
English (official), Bajan (English-based creole language, widely spoken in informal settings)
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.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.01 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.97 male(s)/female
total population
0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.73 male(s)/female
Birth rate
8.02 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
11.96 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
40.3 years
total
42.2 years (2025 est.)
female
42.5 years
Population
male
146,587
total
304,139 (2024 est.)
female
157,552
Nationality
noun
Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective
Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Tobacco use
male
11.4% (2025 est.)
total
6.2% (2025 est.)
female
1.5% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
31.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
16.6% (male 25,273/female 25,284)
15-64 years
67% (male 100,328/female 103,536)
65 years and over
16.3% (2024 est.) (male 20,986/female 28,732)
Ethnic groups
African descent 92.4%, mixed 3.1%, White 2.7%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.2%, unspecified 0.3% (2010 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
49.2 (2024 est.)
youth dependency ratio
24.8 (2024 est.)
potential support ratio
4.1 (2024 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
24.4 (2024 est.)
Physician density
2.96 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
8.1% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
8.7% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
5.7 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.24 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: total
total: 98.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 1.5% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
3.6% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
14.2% national budget (2025 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
11.1 deaths/1,000 live births
total
15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
8.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
-0.42% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.62 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one third of the population lives in urban areas
Life expectancy at birth
male
76.3 years
female
81.8 years
total population
79 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
35 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: total
total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
3.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
1.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
9.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
4.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
89,000 BRIDGETOWN (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
23.1% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
57.2% (2021 est.)