Barbados: Imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Barbados' imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) fell 1.1% on 2016 (from US$2.24 billion to US$2.21 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was +4.4% and a typical year strayed about 9.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 29.6% in 1979 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.2% in 1992. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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.

What this measures

Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 51 values

Imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — US$1.41 billion (2025)
• Argentina — US$101.73 billion (2025)
• Aruba — US$2.57 billion (2023)
• Bahamas, The — US$7.07 billion (2024)
• Belize — US$1.73 billion (2025)
• Bolivia — US$11.62 billion (2025)
• Brazil — US$395.84 billion (2025)
• Chile — US$108.46 billion (2025)
• Colombia — US$86.34 billion (2025)
• Costa Rica

More economic policy & debt data for Barbados

• GDP (current US$) — US$8.02 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 16.03 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$6.5 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 15.34 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$28,365 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 56,730 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$23,014 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 54,263 (2025)
• GNI (current US$) — US$7.69 billion (2025)
• GNI (current LCU) — 15.38 billion (2025)
• GNI per capita (current LCU) — 54,417 (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Barbados's imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP)?

US$2.21 billion in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1967?

It is up 2,388% from US$88.93 million in 1967 (6.64% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$2.45 billion in 2008 and the lowest US$88.93 million in 1967.

Is the latest change in imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) unusual for Barbados?

In 2017, Barbados' imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) fell 1.1% on 2016 (from US$2.24 billion to US$2.21 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was +4.4% and a typical year strayed about 9.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.GNFS.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, 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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