Barbados: Portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Barbados' portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP) fell US$56.57 million on 2016 (from US$124.56 million to US$67.99 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was +US$3.94 million and a typical year strayed about US$239.72 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 US$720.6 million in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was US$637.64 million in 2005. 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 5% 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.

What this measures

Portfolio investment includes cross-border flows and positions involving debt or equity securities, other than those included in direct investment or reserve assets. 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.

All 51 values

Portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — US$57.56 million (2025)
• Argentina — US$278.16 million (2025)
• Aruba — US$168.32 million (2023)
• Bahamas, The — US$238.61 million (2024)
• Belize — US$648.52 (2025)
• Bolivia — US$256.61 million (2025)
• Brazil — US$7.01 billion (2025)
• Chile — US$7.36 billion (2025)
• Colombia — −US$7.56 billion (2025)
• Costa Rica — US$3.66 billion (2025)

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 portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP)?

US$67.99 million in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1967?

It is up 6,257% from US$1.07 million in 1967 (8.66% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$342.08 million in 2012 and the lowest −US$542.41 million in 2005.

Is the latest change in portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP) unusual for Barbados?

In 2017, Barbados' portfolio investment, net (current US$, BoP) fell US$56.57 million on 2016 (from US$124.56 million to US$67.99 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was +US$3.94 million and a typical year strayed about US$239.72 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 BN.KLT.PTXL.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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