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Flag of Barbados

Barbados

Caribbean

Capital
Bridgetown
Population
303,000 (2023)
Currency
Barbadian Dollar BBD
Plugs
AB 115 V
Drives on the
left
Local time
Barbados highlighted on a globe

Plugs and voltage

Type A socket, as found in Barbados Type A Type B socket, as found in Barbados Type B

Barbados uses Types A and B sockets. Mains supply is 115 V at 50 Hz.

At 115 V, devices from 220–240 V countries that are not dual-voltage will run weakly or not at all. Chargers labelled “100–240V” work fine with just a plug adapter.

Adapter guides: from United Kingdom

Money

$ Barbadian Dollar BBD

Average in 2025: 1 USD = 2.00 BBD (World Bank). No daily reference rate is published for this currency by the ECB; check a live rate before exchanging.

Price level 132 (US = 100, 2021)

Everyday household prices in Barbados are about 132% of US prices when converted at market exchange rates: dearer than the median country (50). All countries

Language

  • Englishofficial100%

Bars show the share of the population that speaks each language (CLDR estimates).

Time

Barbados is on UTC−4, with no daylight saving time.

Driving

Traffic in Barbados drives on the left, so the steering wheel is on the right. All left-driving countries

Public holidays in the next 12 months

13 national public holidays from 2 November 2026. Banks, offices and many shops close; regional holidays are not shown. Dates marked “estimated” follow a lunar calendar and can move by a day.

November 2026

  • Independence Day

December 2026

  • Christmas Day
  • Boxing Day

January 2027

  • New Year's Day
  • Errol Barrow Day

March 2027

  • Good Friday
  • Easter Monday

April 2027

  • National Heroes Day

May 2027

  • May Day
  • Whit Monday

August 2027

  • Emancipation Day
  • Kadooment Day
  • Emancipation Day (observed)

Travel advisories

United States · State Department

Level 1 Exercise normal precautions

Read the full advisory. Checked 2026-11-02.

United Kingdom · FCDO

No warnings The FCDO does not advise against travel to Barbados.

Updated 2026-01-23. Read the full advice. Checked 2026-11-02.

Advisories are written for each government's own citizens and change without notice: read the original before you travel.

Other practical facts

Calling code
+1246
Internet domain
.bb
Measurement
Metric
Paper size
A4
Week starts on
Monday
Read more
Wikipedia
Coat of arms or emblem of Barbados
Coat of arms / emblem

More in Caribbean

Compare all of Caribbean side by side

Flag: Flag of Barbados.svg, Public domain. Arms: Coat of arms of Barbados (2).svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Neville C. Connell, director of the Barbados Museum. Electricity: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), see methodology.