Latin America & Caribbean · High income

Barbados: the economy in numbers

Per person: $28,365, or $25,894 at purchasing power parity. Population: 282,623 (2025).

$8.02B+2.7%real GDP growth, 2025

GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #158 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +1.8%.

GDP per capita

$28,365

2025 · #59 of 204

GDP per capita, PPP

$25,894

2025 · #88 of 197

Inflation

0.8%

2025 · IMF forecast 2026: 2.6%

Government debt

93.8%

2026 · % of GDP, general government

Population

283K

2025 · #179 of 217

Unemployment

6.5%

2025 · ILO estimate

Stock market capitalization

51.5%

2020 · % of GDP · $2.78B

Life expectancy

76.3 years

2024

GDP

Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $872 million in 1960, $8.02 billion in 2025.

Current US dollars; “In 2025 dollars” removes US inflationSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

GDP per capita

In 2025 dollars: $3,776 per person in 1960, $28,365 in 2025.

GDP per capitaGDP per capita, PPP (international $)

PPP: purchasing power parity, international dollarsSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Real GDP growth

Average over 2016–2025: 1.3% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1961: 16 of 65.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Inflation

Consumer prices rose 2.18 times from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 38.9% in 1974.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Government debt, % of GDP

Highest since 1994: 134.6% of GDP in 2017. IMF forecast for 2031: 72.8%.

General government (IMF)Central government only (World Bank)

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2027Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Stock market capitalization, % of GDP

In 2020 listed domestic companies were worth $2.78 billion, or 51.5% of GDP.

Listed domestic companies, end of year (the “Buffett indicator”)Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Population

1960: 230,893 · 2025: 282,623.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Unemployment rate

1991: 22.4% · 2025: 6.5%.

% of the labor force, ILO modeled estimatesSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Life expectancy at birth

1960: 64.1 years · 2024: 76.3 years.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Data by year

Show the year-by-year table

Year	GDP	GDP per capita	Per capita, PPP	Real growth	Inflation	Gov. debt, % GDP	Population	Unemployment	Stock market, % GDP	Life expectancy
2031				2.0%^f	2.4%^f	72.8%^f
2030				2.0%^f	2.4%^f	76.6%^f
2029				2.0%^f	2.4%^f	80.3%^f
2028				2.1%^f	2.3%^f	84.3%^f
2027				2.2%^f	2.8%^f	88.4%^f
2026				1.8%^f	2.6%^f	93.8%
2025	$8.02B	$28,365	$25,894	2.7%	0.8%	96.2%	283K	6.5%
2024	$7.6B	$26,897	$24,540	3.4%	1.4%	98.9%	282K	6.4%		76.3
2023	$7.22B	$25,584	$23,176	1.8%	3.2%	104.1%	282K	6.5%		76.2
2022	$6.89B	$24,393	$21,952	15.9%		104.0%	282K	7.3%		75.7
2021	$5.95B	$21,084	$17,687	8.0%		108.6%	282K	11.0%		76.6
2020	$5.4B	$19,181	$16,544	−17.4%		129.6%	282K	10.6%	51.5%	76.6
2019	$6.17B	$21,929	$19,987	0.2%	1.7%	101.6%	281K	8.4%	55.1%	76.5
2018	$6.0B	$21,378	$19,774	−0.3%	3.1%	107.2%	281K	8.3%	59.0%	76.4
2017	$5.85B	$20,871	$18,970	0.7%	4.7%	134.6%	280K	8.6%	57.3%	76.2
2016	$5.68B	$20,311	$19,191	1.4%	1.3%	127.1%	280K	8.2%	54.5%	76.2
2015	$5.7B	$20,429	$19,190	−0.8%	−1.1%	122.5%	279K	9.8%	51.7%	76.1
2014	$5.68B	$20,424	$18,808	0.8%	1.8%	115.1%	278K	12.2%	47.2%	75.9
2013	$5.66B	$20,384	$19,008	0.2%	1.8%	111.7%	278K	11.6%	70.4%	75.8
2012	$5.49B	$19,811	$18,669	−2.9%	4.5%	103.5%	277K	11.6%		75.7
2011	$5.56B	$20,146	$19,958	−0.1%	9.4%	94.4%	276K	11.2%	82.1%	75.6
2010	$5.43B	$19,723	$19,633	−8.1%	5.8%	90.3%	275K	10.7%	40.3%	75.5
2009	$4.47B	$16,295	$21,188	−5.0%	3.6%	83.5%	274K	10.0%		75.5
2008	$4.79B	$17,566	$22,285	0.6%	8.1%	69.8%	273K	8.1%		75.3
2007	$4.68B	$17,235	$21,841	2.1%	4.0%	64.9%	271K	7.4%		75.3
2006	$4.22B	$15,620	$20,931	6.1%	7.3%	64.1%	270K	8.7%		75.0
2005	$3.82B	$14,214	$19,235	4.0%	6.1%	62.7%	269K	9.1%		75.0
2004	$3.44B	$12,886	$18,035	1.4%	1.4%	61.0%	267K	9.6%		75.2
2003	$3.21B	$12,076	$17,417	2.2%	1.6%	61.8%	266K	11.0%		74.9
2002	$3.11B	$11,760	$16,819	0.8%	0.1%	62.0%	264K	10.3%		74.8
2001	$3.05B	$11,640	$16,541	−2.4%	2.6%	59.0%	262K	9.8%	60.2%	74.7
2000	$3.06B	$11,675	$16,591	4.4%	2.4%	53.6%	262K	9.3%	55.8%	74.6
1999	$2.95B	$11,244	$15,506	0.3%	1.6%	47.0%	263K	10.6%	69.0%	74.6
1998	$2.82B	$10,734	$15,243	3.7%	−1.3%	47.2%	262K	12.4%	62.2%	74.5
1997	$2.5B	$9,522	$14,535	4.7%	7.7%	52.0%	262K	14.6%	45.4%	74.0
1996	$2.36B	$9,012	$13,647	4.0%	2.4%	52.3%	262K	14.7%	32.4%	74.1
1995	$2.22B	$8,460	$12,901	2.0%	1.9%	52.0%	262K	19.7%	22.2%	73.9
1994	$2.15B	$8,223	$12,407	2.0%	0.1%	51.4%	262K	23.0%	23.9%	73.8
1993	$2.06B	$7,905	$11,935	0.8%	1.1%		261K	24.5%	15.8%	73.7
1992	$1.96B	$7,519	$11,601	−5.7%	6.1%		260K	22.9%		73.6
1991	$2.02B	$7,790	$12,068	−3.9%	6.3%		259K	22.4%		73.5
1990	$2.01B	$7,781	$12,184	−3.3%	3.1%		259K			73.5
1989	$2.01B	$7,773		3.6%	6.2%		258K			73.4
1988	$1.81B	$7,033		3.5%	4.9%		258K			73.4
1987	$1.7B	$6,625		2.6%	3.3%		257K			73.5
1986	$1.55B	$6,031		5.1%	1.3%		257K			73.4
1985	$1.41B	$5,510		1.1%	3.9%		256K			73.3
1984	$1.35B	$5,284		3.6%	4.7%		255K			73.3
1983	$1.24B	$4,866		0.5%	5.2%		254K			73.2
1982	$1.16B	$4,599		−4.9%	10.3%		253K			72.9
1981	$1.11B	$4,417		−1.9%	14.6%		252K			72.6
1980	$1.01B	$4,025		4.4%	14.4%		252K			72.1
1979	$670M	$2,668		7.9%	13.2%		251K			71.5
1978	$553M	$2,198		4.9%	9.5%		252K			71.1
1977	$495M	$1,968		3.6%	8.4%		252K			70.6
1976	$436M	$1,734		4.4%	5.0%		251K			70.1
1975	$402M	$1,601		−1.9%	20.3%		251K			69.8
1974	$312M	$1,243		−4.7%	38.9%		251K			69.4
1973	$261M	$1,042		1.3%	16.9%		250K			69.1
1972	$214M	$856		1.3%	11.9%		250K			69.1
1971	$187M	$750		3.9%	7.5%		249K			68.8
1970	$166M	$666		9.5%	7.3%		249K			68.5
1969	$141M	$567		7.5%	5.8%		249K			68.5
1968	$126M	$506		6.9%	7.5%		249K			68.2
1967	$126M	$508		10.6%	3.6%		247K			67.9
1966	$113M	$462		4.0%			245K			67.7
1965	$105M	$433		11.4%			242K			67.2
1964	$99.3M	$414		5.0%			240K			66.7
1963	$99.9M	$421		−5.1%			238K			66.2
1962	$88.8M	$377		9.1%			235K			65.7
1961	$85.4M	$366		7.7%			233K			65.0
1960	$80M	$347					231K			64.1

e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast.

Nearby economies in Latin America & Caribbean

Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.

Saint Lucia

$14,746 per person (2025)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$12,562 per person (2025)

Grenada

$12,107 per person (2025)

Dominica

$10,989 per person (2025)

Trinidad and Tobago

$18,967 per person (2025)

Antigua and Barbuda

$24,819 per person (2025)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$25,223 per person (2025)

Sint Maarten

$42,978 per person (2025)

Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Bolivia · Brazil · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Chile · Colombia · Costa Rica · Cuba · Curaçao · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · Puerto Rico · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Martin (French part) · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Sint Maarten · Suriname · Trinidad and Tobago · Turks and Caicos Islands · U.S. Virgin Islands · Uruguay · Venezuela

Rankings

GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country

Data and methods

GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Fiscal year: the IMF reports this economy by fiscal year (latest actual: FY2025/26), so IMF numbers can differ from calendar-year World Bank figures.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)