Barbados: Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Barbados' bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) fell 0.81 percentage points on 2022 (from 38.4% to 37.59%).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2022), the average change was +1.61 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.35 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 7.04 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.6 percentage points in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 3.42 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 95% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Barbados in the 2023 ranking

• Nigeria — 1st of 7: 54.88%
• Tajikistan — 2nd of 7: 53.3%
• Zimbabwe — 4th of 7: 34.62%
• Congo, Rep. — 5th of 7: 26.35%
• Equatorial Guinea — 6th of 7: 24.7%

What this measures

Ratio of bank liquid reserves to bank assets is the ratio of domestic currency holdings and deposits with the monetary authorities to claims on other governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, the private sector, and other banking institutions. This indicator is expressed as a percentage (a÷b)*100.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 21 values

Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 11.58% (2025)
• Argentina — 23.76% (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 15.11% (2025)
• Belize — 24.03% (2025)
• Bolivia — 30.05% (2025)
• Brazil — 18.74% (2025)
• Chile — 8.78% (2025)
• Colombia — 4.2% (2025)
• Costa Rica — 23.6% (2025)
• Dominica — 13.97% (2025)

More financial sector data for Barbados

• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 104.55 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$2 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$2 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 2.74% (2025)
• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 146.54 (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 59.62% (2023)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 12.13 billion (2023)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 2.26 billion (2023)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 59.73% (2023)
• Broad money (current LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Barbados's bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%)?

37.59% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is up 30.28 percentage points from 7.31% in 2001. The highest value was 38.4% in 2022 and the lowest 3.89% in 2005.

Is the latest change in bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) unusual for Barbados?

In 2023, Barbados' bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) fell 0.81 percentage points on 2022 (from 38.4% to 37.59%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2022), the average change was +1.61 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.35 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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