Barbados

In brief

Barbados is a country in the Caribbean. Its capital is Bridgetown. With 282,623 inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 174th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 430 km². An island nation, Barbados has no land border.

GDP per capita stands at $28,365 (2025), 46th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 76.3 years (2024). 60% of the population lives in cities.

History of Barbados

Uninhabited when the English arrived and settled in 1627, Barbados became one of the first sugar plantation societies built on slavery, a model copied across the empire. Its assembly, created in 1639, is one of the oldest in the Commonwealth. Independent on 30 November 1966, Barbados became a republic on 30 November 2021, replacing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state with a president.

Geography of Barbados

The easternmost island of the Caribbean, Barbados is a gently rolling coral island that peaks at Mount Hillaby (336 m). The east coast, pounded by the Atlantic, contrasts with the calm waters of the west coast.

Map of Barbados

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Flag of Barbados

The flag of Barbados is blue and yellow. Its official proportions are 2:3 (height to width).

• Blue67%
• Yellow30%
• Black4%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Ultramarine, gold and ultramarine, with a black trident head in the centre. Blue evokes the sea and sky, gold the sand. The trident, taken from the old colonial badge, is broken to mark the break with the colonial past.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Barbados” and “Flag of Barbados”.

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Fact file

Economy and society