Country import demand

Barbados
import demand

A reported view of Barbados's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

BRB1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest imports$2.4B2024 reported
Import growth+6.3%Year on year
Population282.5KReported population
GDP per capita$26.5KCurrent-dollar GDP
Trade openness59%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Barbados import?

In 2024, Barbados recorded $2.4B in reported imports. Imports changed +6.3% year on year and +10.6% annualized over three years. Beverages was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$1.8B
2014
$1.8B
2015
$1.5B
2016
$1.4B
2017
$1.6B
2018
$1.6B
2019
$1.5B
2020
$1.5B
2021
$1.8B
2022
$2.1B
2023
$2.3B
2024
$2.4B

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$7.5B2024 macro context
GDP growth4%Five-year CAGR
Population growth0.1%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate17.2%National rate
Savings rate7.7%National rate
Trade openness59%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Barbados
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1BeveragesHS2 22$52.7M2.2%5424
2Mineral fuelsHS2 27$724.8M30%5227
3Pharmaceutical productsHS2 30$40.0M1.7%6740
4Ships and boatsHS2 89$52.1M2.2%2513
5Optical and medical instrumentsHS2 90$32.7M1.4%74139
6Animal and vegetable fatsHS2 15$13.6M0.6%3344
7Preparations of cerealsHS2 19$32.7M1.4%3619
8Paper and paperboardHS2 48$36.3M1.5%6397
9Miscellaneous chemical productsHS2 38$20.9M0.9%5683
10AluminiumHS2 76$18.9M0.8%5034

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration733Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share38.4%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets43Reported count
Average distance8,840 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceMacro trend resilientCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3BRB
Exports Usd$373.6M
Imports Usd$2.4B
Trade Balance Usd-$2.0B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct2.5%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct6.3%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct6.5%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct10.6%
Export Partner Hhi733
Export Product Hhi422.3
Momentum Score3.7
Risk Score5.8
Gdp Million Usd7,498.1 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$26.5K
Population282,467
Labor Force154.5
Investment Rate Pct17.2%
Savings Rate Pct7.7%
Secondary Education Pct95.5%
Tertiary Education Pct11.6%
Total Factor Productivity1,042.8
Trade Openness Pct59%
Exports Gdp Pct7.9%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners43
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners0%
Num Shared Language Partners77%
Avg Partner Distance Km8,840 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta16
Pct Partners Shared Language28.5%
Pct Partners Shared Border0%
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp0.1
Avg Distance All Partners Km8,654 km
Num Border Partners0
Num Colonial Partners25
Avg Substitution Elasticity-7.8
Pct Products High Elasticity64.4
Pct Products Low Elasticity4.7
Real Market Potential62,754
Foreign Market Potential14,652.7

Supplier context

Country Iso3BRB
All History Lane Count1,373
Current Lane Count169
Critical Lane Count0
High Attention Lane Count18
High Volatility Lane Count70
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count55
Declining Demand Lane Count1
Concentrated Market Lane Count73
Access Friction Lane Count26
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count4
Monitored Exports Current Usd$201.5M
Attention Exports Usd$70.8M
Critical Exports Usd$0.0
High Volatility Exports Usd$46.8M
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$39.8M
Non Fta Exports Usd$72.3M
Monitored Attention Share Pct35.2%
Monitored Critical Share Pct0%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct61.7%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv0.9
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct29.4%
Export Weighted Distance Km4,507 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$373.6M
Total Imports Latest Usd$2.4B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$2.0B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct2.5%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct6.5%
Gdp Latest Million Usd7,498.1 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$26.5K
Population Latest282,467
Investment Rate Latest Pct17.2%
Savings Rate Latest Pct7.7%
Trade Openness Latest Pct59%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct7.9%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest43
Foreign Market Potential Latest14,652.7
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct4%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct3.9%
Population 5y Cagr Pct0.1%
Partner Hhi Latest733
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct16%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct38.4%
Partner Hhi All Avg1,407.9
Partner Hhi All Max4,551.5
Product Hhi Latest422.3
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct13.4%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct27.1%
Product Hhi All Avg445.9
Product Hhi All Max1,137.5
Total Exports Attention Share Pct19%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct0%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
1995$600.8M$207.9M-$392.9M+0%
1996$675.5M$273.7M-$401.8M+12.4%
1997$982.6M$255.0M-$727.6M+45.5%
1998$828.1M$247.7M-$580.4M-15.7%
1999$870.1M$252.8M-$617.3M+5.1%
2000$2.1B$563.3M-$1.6B+145.7%
2001$976.4M$323.6M-$652.8M-54.3%
2002$894.9M$344.4M-$550.5M-8.3%
2003$1.1B$370.7M-$700.1M+19.7%
2004$1.0B$421.8M-$614.1M-3.3%
2005$1.5B$422.0M-$1.1B+43.8%
2006$1.6B$400.3M-$1.2B+6.4%
2007$1.4B$526.0M-$879.5M-11.3%
2008$2.0B$639.2M-$1.3B+39.1%
2009$2.4B$967.6M-$1.4B+23.3%
2010$2.2B$982.2M-$1.2B-8.3%
2011$5.6B$1.1B-$4.5B+155.1%
2012$3.2B$735.4M-$2.4B-43.7%
2013$1.8B$484.2M-$1.3B-42.5%
2014$1.8B$555.6M-$1.2B-2.9%
2015$1.5B$396.1M-$1.1B-16.4%
2016$1.4B$431.2M-$952.4M-6.6%
2017$1.6B$491.4M-$1.1B+15.8%
2018$1.6B$459.7M-$1.2B+0.9%
2019$1.5B$399.9M-$1.1B-4.2%
2020$1.5B$288.8M-$1.2B-3.5%
2021$1.8B$309.7M-$1.5B+19.7%
2022$2.1B$367.0M-$1.8B+18.5%
2023$2.3B$364.6M-$1.9B+7.3%
2024$2.4B$373.6M-$2.0B+6.3%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
122Beverages$52.7M2.2%5424
227Mineral fuels$724.8M30%5227
330Pharmaceutical products$40.0M1.7%6740
489Ships and boats$52.1M2.2%2513
590Optical and medical instruments$32.7M1.4%74139
615Animal and vegetable fats$13.6M0.6%3344
719Preparations of cereals$32.7M1.4%3619
848Paper and paperboard$36.3M1.5%6397
938Miscellaneous chemical products$20.9M0.9%5683
1076Aluminium$18.9M0.8%5034

Questions about this profile

Barbados import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Barbados import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Barbados.

What is the latest reported import value for Barbados?

Barbados recorded $2.4B in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Barbados's imports?

Beverages leads by reported import value at $52.7M.

How many years of Barbados import history are available?

This profile contains 30 annual rows covering 1995 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and suppliers using reported trade data.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.