Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Barbados

Barbados: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 86.4% in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
86.4%
World rank
45th
of 236 countries
All-time high
88.4%
in 1970
All-time low
83.2%
in 2015
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Barbados, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 86.7 %1955: 87.5 %1960: 87.7 %1965: 88.1 %1970: 88.4 %1975: 88.3 %1980: 87.2 %1985: 87.6 %1990: 87.6 %1995: 87.6 %2000: 87.1 %2005: 85.8 %2010: 85.6 %2015: 83.2 %2020: 86.4 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Barbados stood at 86.4%.

The figure is up 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Barbados peaked at 88.4% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 83.2%, in 2015.

Barbados ranks 45th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Barbados, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Barbados, 1950 to 2020.
Year % Change
1950 86.7%
1955 87.5% +0.8%
1960 87.7% +0.3%
1965 88.1% +0.5%
1970 88.4% +0.3%
1975 88.3% -0.2%
1980 87.2% -1.2%
1985 87.6% +0.5%
1990 87.6% +0.0%
1995 87.6% -0.1%
2000 87.1% -0.5%
2005 85.8% -1.5%
2010 85.6% -0.2%
2015 83.2% -2.8%
2020 86.4% +3.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 87.1% 86.7% 87.5% 2
1960s 87.9% 87.7% 88.1% 2
1970s 88.3% 88.3% 88.4% 2
1980s 87.4% 87.2% 87.6% 2
1990s 87.6% 87.6% 87.6% 2
2000s 86.4% 85.8% 87.1% 2
2010s 84.4% 83.2% 85.6% 2
2020s 86.4% 86.4% 86.4% 1

Countries ranked near Barbados

  1. 42 Saint Barthelemy 87.2% compare
  2. 43 Viet Nam 86.9% compare
  3. 44 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 86.6% compare
  4. 46 Comoros 86.3% compare
  5. 47 Uruguay 86.2% compare
  6. 48 Argentina 86.0% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Barbados

All data for Barbados →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Barbados?
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Barbados was 86.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Barbados?
The highest recorded value was 88.4% in 1970.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Barbados?
The lowest recorded value was 83.2% in 2015.
How does Barbados rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
Barbados ranks 45th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Barbados?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Barbados data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Barbados. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-living-in-urban-and-rural-areas-degurba/barbados/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.