Armed forces personnel in Barbados
Barbados: Armed forces personnel was 1,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Barbados, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in Barbados stood at 1,000. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 63.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Barbados peaked at 1,000 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 600, in 1995.
Barbados ranks 163rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Barbados, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,000 | — |
| 1995 | 600 | -40.0% |
| 1996 | 600 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 600 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 610 | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 600 | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 600 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 600 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 600 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 610 | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1,000 | +63.9% |
| 2009 | 610 | -39.0% |
| 2010 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 610 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1,000 | +63.9% |
| 2018 | 610 | -39.0% |
| 2019 | 1,000 | +63.9% |
| 2020 | 1,000 | +0.0% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 1,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 4% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 1,000 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 28,500, 4% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1 |
| 1990s | 604 | 600 | 610 | 5 |
| 2000s | 645 | 600 | 1,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 688 | 610 | 1,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 163 Cape Verde 1,000 compare
- 163 Equatorial Guinea 1,000 compare
- 163 Haiti 1,000 compare
- 163 Luxembourg 1,000 compare
- 163 Sao Tome and Principe 1,000 compare
More reference data data for Barbados
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0268 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0217 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0558 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0558 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.118 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2758 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Barbados?
- Armed forces personnel in Barbados was 1,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 1,000 in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 600 in 1995.
- How does Barbados rank for armed forces personnel?
- Barbados ranks 163rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.