| Land Area: |
430 sq. km (166 sq. miles) |
| Climate: |
Sub-tropical (16-31 Celsius) |
| Religion: |
Christian with minority Hindu, Muslim, Jewish |
| Language: |
English, local ‘Bajan’ dialect |
| Population: |
266.8 thousand (1998) |
| Education: |
Primary, secondary and tertiary, free and available to all |
| Health: |
Free health care on demand; 500 people per doctor; 80 beds per 10 000 population |
| Birth rate: |
14.1 per 1 000 (2000) |
| Average life expectancy: |
76 years. Currently about 50 centenarians |
| Social Welfare: |
Unemployment, industrial injury, sickness, maternity, retirement and death benefits |
| Communications & Utilities: |
All communications, utilities and information services are available throughout Barbados, especially piped water, electricity, natural gas, radio, telephones and television |
| Roads: |
Comprehensive national road network, driving on left hand side |
| Ports: |
International Airport, including scheduled Concorde flights, with convenient access to all countries in the world Deep Water Harbour, regular shipping facilities |
| Currency: |
BDS$ 2 = US$ 1 |
| GDP per Capita Income: |
US$ 8 050 (2000) Highest current “quality of life” rating of any developing country. Economy principally tourism, light industry, sugar, rum distillation and offshore financial services |
| Income Tax: |
Value Added Tax: Graduated up to 40% from above GDP 15% generally and 7½ % for hotel accommodation |
| Investment: |
Excellent investment opportunities and incentives are available |
| Aid: |
Barbados receives aid only as specialised technical assistance |
| Regional & other affiliations: |
Caribbean Community (CARICOM); Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS); Organisation of American States (OAS); the African, Caribbean and Pacific States/European Economic Community (ACP/EEC); Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO); United Nations (UN) |
| Parliamentary affiliations: |
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) |
