Barbados is a small island in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the Lesser Antilles region of the West Indies, being neighbors with Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. Barbados became a free country in 1966, moving to a commonwealth realm, then to a republic in 2021. The level of poverty in Barbados is well below the average, making for a well-off country. Despite that, there are still some issues that arise due to poverty. Here is everything to know about poverty in Barbados.

Where Poverty Lies

Poverty in Barbados, in contrast with the average poverty rate of 29% for Latin American and Caribbean countries, is at roughly one-third of the average, with 11.1% of Barbadians living below the international upper middle-income country poverty line of $6.85 as of 2016. Some of these causes lie within economic dependency, race, income and gender inequalities and limited access to the justice system. This has been detrimental to people who have been in poverty for many years, with some instances stemming from before Barbados was a free nation.

One such way things have improved is in regards to people in Barbados seeing poverty as less of an issue today, with an estimated 9.2% of Barbadians living below the poverty line, even as COVID-19 rolled through globally. Barbados’s Gini index, or the measure of income inequality for a nation, is at 34.1%. This number is one of the lowest figures for Latin American and Caribbean countries, and is well below the threshold for high inequality of 40%. One issue lies within this figure, however.

There are some differences in population groups, with poverty being more prevalent among women and girls, and even more so in regards to female-led households. The level of multidimensional poverty, or poverty that takes in monetary state, education and basic infrastructure is also critically low, only coming in at 0.3%. Still, 4.1% of the population lacked access to basic sanitation, and 3% lacked access to electricity. Life in poverty means not having access to basic necessities. There have been instances of people needing to move to homeless shelters out of rundown houses due to a lack of income. These people end up needing clothes, food and even counselling in some cases.

Solutions

There has been significant improvement regarding poverty in Barbados. As of 2025, out of 184 countries, Barbados is 36th in regards to economic freedom, putting them at a moderately free status, and putting them above the world average. Despite the poverty that Barbados is facing, it is quite well off as a whole, boasting one of the Caribbean’s highest incomes per capita.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) took a vested interest in helping Barbados with the issues they face regarding poverty, and under this umbrella, the UN’s Multi-Country Office got to work in regards to poverty, establishing the Poverty and Governance cluster in 2020. This cluster works with the intent to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that each country sets out to achieve, implementing programs intended to help countries and keeping track of support that countries may need. Poverty reduction is a key point for this cluster.

There are a few projects that are at the forefront for Barbados. One such example of this is the PACE Justice project, which is the improvement of the justice system as a whole, elevating the system itself from being devoid of resources to process criminal proceedings to being able to increase the efficiency of the justice system as a whole. Another project that Barbados is taking part in is the Universal Adaptive Social Protection – SDG Fund Joint Program. This program began in 2020, and aims to protect the society of Barbados by improving institutional capacities, developing financial strategies for sustainability, and mitigating risk alongside utilizing social protection for vulnerable populations in need. As recent as the end of 2021, the implementation of these goals was at 84%.

Looking Ahead

Barbados, despite still struggling with some poverty issues, is in a very good spot as a result of the United Nations and the programs that it participates in. These programs aim to lessen the blow of poverty, and help the development of the country in the long term. Barbados is also in a good spot due to the economic freedom that they have developed over time. This all combines into a country that is not without its issues in facing poverty, but is well off in the long run with how they handle poverty.

– Amari Jennings

Amari is based in Orlando, FL, USA and focuses on Technology and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr