Country Profile – Barbados

Country Profile: Barbados

Connecting country profiles with data that drives disaster readiness

This section brings together key demographic, geographic, economic, and natural risk indicators that shape the nation’s exposure and vulnerability. These elements paint a comprehensive picture of the country’s baseline conditions, supporting informed decision-making, strategic planning, and targeted action to strengthen resilience across the region.

General Information

Total population (inhabitants): 304,139 (2024 est.) (157,552 Female and 146,587 Male)
Human Development Index (HDI): 0.811 (69 out of 193 countries)
Basic geography: Caribbean, an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela. With a total area of 430 sq km and 97 km of coastline. The terrain is relatively flat; it rises gently to the central highland region (Highest point: 336 m).

Economic Overview

Real GDP growth (Annual percent change): 2.7 (2025)
GDP and GDP per capita current prices (U.S. dollars): 7.56 billion and 25.93 thousand (2025)
GDP – composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 1.9%, industry: 13.2% and services: 75.4% (2023 est.)*
Key indicators of economic vulnerability
- General government gross debt (% of GDP 2025): 99.8

*Figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Risks and Disasters

Natural Disaster History (1980-2024)

Type of disaster	Total Disasters (#)	Total Deaths (Persons)	Total Affected (Persons)	Total Damages (000 USD, Adjusted for Inflation)	Internal Displacements (2008-2024)
Drought	1	0	0	0
Earthquake	1	0	1	0
Flood	1	0	100	0
Storm	10	2	16,596	282,115	1000
Total	13	2	16,697	282,115	1000

International Risk Indexes – LAC INFORM RISK

The Index for Risk Management (INFORM) for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region uses a scale of 0–10 to represent the level of risk, where 0 represents the lowest and 10 represents the highest. The Natural column shows the overall index related to natural hazards.

To access an indicator at the global level, please consult this page: INFORM Risk

Earthquake and tsunami
5.7

Flood
0.1

Tropical cyclone
6.3

Eco-Damage and drought
0.4

Epidemics
4

Natural
3.7

References

Central Intelligence Agency. (2025). The World Factbook: Countries. The World Factbook. [LINK]

International Monetary Fund. (2025). DataMapper profile. International Monetary Fund. [LINK]

International Monetary Fund. (2025). Gross general government debt data by country. International Monetary Fund. [LINK]

Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. (2024). Displacement Data. IDMC. [LINK]

Joint Research Centre (JRC) — European Commission. (2020). INFORM Subnational Risk: Latin America and Caribbean. INFORM Index. [LINK]

United Nations Development Programme. (2025). Country insights. Human Development Reports. [LINK]

World Bank. (2024). Explore. Climate Change Knowledge Portal. [LINK]

Additional Information

Last Updated: November 2025

Created by: Azucena Ceniceros Gutiérrez