Barbados - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Barbados. Easternmost Caribbean island. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 39 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Barbados
Location Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates 13 10 N, 59 32 W
Map references Central America and the Caribbean
Tarrain relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Natural Resources petroleum, fish, natural gas
Natural Hazards infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Irrigated Land 50 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 97 km
Climate tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 430 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Mount Hillaby 336 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 32.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 25.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 2.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 4.7% (2018 est.)
Forest 19.4% (2018 est.)
Other 48% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Most densely populated country in the eastern Caribbean; approximately one-third live in urban areas

People and Society

In Barbados, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: African descent 92.4%, mixed 3.1%, White 2.7%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.2%, unspecified 0.3% (2010 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.23% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 10.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 7.2% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 6 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 1.7 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.85 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 59.2% (2012)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 57.1% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 6.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial) | Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
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.)
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)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 49
Youth dependency ratio 25.6
Elderly dependency ratio 23.4
Potential support ratio 4.3 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 41.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 40.3 years
Female 42.5 years
Urbanization
Urban population 31.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 89,000 BRIDGETOWN (capital) (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.01 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.73 male(s)/female
Total population 0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 9.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 11.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 8.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 79 years (2024 est.)
Male 76.3 years
Female 81.8 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 98.8% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 2% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 9.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 3.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 1.36 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.)
Tobacco use
Total 8.5% (2020 est.)
Male 15% (2020 est.)
Female 1.9% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Barbados

Want to know more about Barbados? Check all different factbooks for Barbados below.

Barbados is found in Caribbean