Urban population in Barbados
Barbados: Urban population was 168,725 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Barbados, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Barbados recorded 168,725 for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Barbados peaked at 168,725 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 93,351, in 1960.
Barbados ranks 180th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Barbados, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 93,351 | — |
| 1961 | 94,653 | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 96,095 | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 97,839 | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 99,803 | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 101,975 | +2.2% |
| 1966 | 104,376 | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 106,737 | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 108,971 | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 111,098 | +2.0% |
| 1970 | 113,021 | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 116,010 | +2.6% |
| 1972 | 120,828 | +4.2% |
| 1973 | 126,763 | +4.9% |
| 1974 | 133,206 | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 139,805 | +5.0% |
| 1976 | 146,090 | +4.5% |
| 1977 | 151,653 | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 155,952 | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 158,584 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 159,622 | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 160,139 | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 160,705 | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 161,313 | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 161,936 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 162,535 | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 163,065 | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 163,503 | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 163,823 | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 164,050 | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 164,351 | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 164,806 | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 165,259 | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 165,566 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 165,714 | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 165,704 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 165,544 | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 165,266 | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 164,923 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 164,586 | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 163,889 | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 163,504 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 163,681 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 163,597 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 163,324 | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 162,941 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 162,531 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 162,241 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 162,246 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 162,540 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 163,045 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 163,576 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 164,050 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 164,485 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 164,896 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 165,288 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 165,665 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 166,027 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 166,378 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 166,711 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 167,051 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 167,375 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 167,567 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 167,774 | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 168,180 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 168,725 | +0.3% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 168,725 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.24 million, 8% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 168,725 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.35 million, 7% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 101,490 | 93,351 | 111,098 | 10 |
| 1970s | 136,191 | 113,021 | 158,584 | 10 |
| 1980s | 162,069 | 159,622 | 164,050 | 10 |
| 1990s | 165,172 | 164,351 | 165,714 | 10 |
| 2000s | 163,049 | 162,241 | 163,889 | 10 |
| 2010s | 165,012 | 163,045 | 166,711 | 10 |
| 2020s | 167,779 | 167,051 | 168,725 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 177 New Caledonia 201,334 compare
- 178 Belize 175,776 compare
- 179 French Polynesia 174,446 compare
- 181 Sao Tome and Principe 166,189 compare
- 182 Guam 159,230 compare
- 183 Curacao 142,938 compare
More climate change data for Barbados
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.42 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 108.02 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 65.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 42.94 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.2456 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.53 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 8.44 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 8 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 0.4396 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0302 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Barbados?
- Urban population in Barbados was 168,725 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 168,725 in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 93,351 in 1960.
- How does Barbados rank for urban population?
- Barbados ranks 180th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.