Labor force participation rate in Barbados
Barbados: Labor force participation rate was 64.69 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
64.69
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
66th
of 186 countries
All-time high
70.15
in 2004
All-time low
62.39
in 2021
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in Barbados, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate in Barbados is 64.69, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in Barbados peaked at 70.15 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 62.39, in 2021.
That places Barbados 66th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate in Barbados, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 68.51 | — |
| 1991 | 68.15 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 67.7 | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 68.22 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 68.74 | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 69.69 | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 68.9 | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 69.03 | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 69.15 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 69.23 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 69.35 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 69.47 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 69.5 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 69.53 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 70.15 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 69.97 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 69.79 | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 69.62 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 69.42 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 69.16 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 68.9 | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 68.64 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 67.57 | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 68.29 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 66.34 | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 65.43 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 66.06 | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 66.17 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 65.71 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 64.93 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 63.1 | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 62.39 | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 65.34 | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 65.02 | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 64.97 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 64.69 | -0.4% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 64.69 is above the median for high income countries, which is 62.28, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 64.69 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 63.14, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 68.73 | 67.7 | 69.69 | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.6 | 69.16 | 70.15 | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.8 | 64.93 | 68.9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.25 | 62.39 | 65.34 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More work & labour data for Barbados
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7079 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6853 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7302 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9854 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8257 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 114.42 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 165.89 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 97.75 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 96.95 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 194.7 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate in Barbados?
- Labor force participation rate in Barbados was 64.69 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 70.15 in 2004.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.39 in 2021.
- How does Barbados rank for labor force participation rate?
- Barbados ranks 66th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).