Barbados — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Barbados, 1990–2025.
Labor participation for Barbados was 64.69% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 70.15% in 2004. The lowest was 62.39% in 2021 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.16% per year.
Barbados ranks 66 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 35%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 63.14%, so Barbados sits above it. It peaked in 2004 and has fallen 8% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 1%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 12 of 31 economies; Ecuador (64.50%) is just below it.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 45th of 187 in 1990 → 40th of 187 in 2000 → 35th of 187 in 2010 → 68th of 187 in 2020 → 65th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1990 to 2025
| Year | % of population ages 15+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 64.69% | -0.3 pp |
| 2024 | 64.97% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 65.02% | -0.3 pp |
| 2022 | 65.35% | +3.0 pp |
| 2021 | 62.39% | -0.7 pp |
| 2020 | 63.1% | -1.8 pp |
| 2019 | 64.93% | -0.8 pp |
| 2018 | 65.71% | -0.5 pp |
| 2017 | 66.17% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 66.06% | +0.6 pp |
| 2015 | 65.43% | -0.9 pp |
| 2014 | 66.34% | -2.0 pp |
| 2013 | 68.29% | +0.7 pp |
| 2012 | 67.57% | -1.1 pp |
| 2011 | 68.64% | -0.3 pp |
| 2010 | 68.9% | -0.3 pp |
| 2009 | 69.16% | -0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 69.42% | -0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 69.62% | -0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 69.79% | -0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 69.97% | -0.2 pp |
| 2004 | 70.15% | +0.6 pp |
| 2003 | 69.53% | +0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 69.5% | +0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 69.47% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 69.35% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 69.23% | +0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 69.15% | +0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 69.03% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 68.9% | -0.8 pp |
| 1995 | 69.69% | +1.0 pp |
| 1994 | 68.74% | +0.5 pp |
| 1993 | 68.22% | +0.5 pp |
| 1992 | 67.7% | -0.5 pp |
| 1991 | 68.15% | -0.4 pp |
| 1990 | 68.51% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Barbados’s Labor participation in 1991?
68.15% (1991). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of population ages 15+, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Barbados’s Labor participation growing or shrinking?
Between 1990 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -5.6% in total — about 0.2% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 64.69%; 2024: 64.97%; 2023: 65.02%; 2022: 65.35%; 2021: 62.39%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.