Country profile
Barbados
Barbados · Caribbean
👥 Population
282,623
World Bank · 2025
🏛 Capital
Bridgetown
🗺 Area
430 km²
💹 GDP (nominal)
$8.02B
World Bank · 2025
📈 HDI
0.811
UNDP · 2023
📍 Pop. density
657 /km²
💱 Currency
BBD
Barbadian dollar
🗣 Languages
English
About Barbados
Barbados is a country in Caribbean, with Bridgetown as its capital. It is home to roughly 282.62 thousand people, giving a population density of about 657 people per square kilometre. The country covers 430 km² of land and has no shared land borders. Its economy is valued at approximately $8.02B in nominal GDP (2025), and it records a Human Development Index of 0.811. The official currency is the Barbadian dollar (BBD), and the main language is English.
Key indicators
Latest available data · World Bank & UNDP.
💹 Economy
GDP (PPP)
$7.01B
GDP/capita (PPP)
$24,823
GDP growth
2.7%
Inflation
0.8%
Unemployment
6.5%
👥 People
Life expectancy
76.3 yrs
Fertility rate
1.71
Pop. growth
0.1%
Urban population
59.7%
Infant mortality /1k
9.1
🌍 Quality of Life
Internet users
70.4%
Literacy rate
99.3%
Physicians /1k
2.96
Renewable energy
5.5%
Travel & practical
Capital
Bridgetown
Currency
BBD
Dialing code
+1246
Internet TLD
.bb
Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Fun facts about Barbados
- Barbados is the 173rd most populous country in the world, with about 282.62 thousand people.
- By land area it is the 183rd-largest country in the world, covering 430 km².
- It has the world's 154th-largest economy by nominal GDP ($8.02B).
- Barbados has no land borders with other countries.
- It is classed by the UN as a country of very high human development, with an HDI of 0.811.
- Barbados has a population density of about 657 people per square kilometre.
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Cuba
Jamaica
Trinidad and Tobago
Bahamas
Saint Lucia
Grenada