Barbados: Reserves and related items (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Barbados' reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) fell US$142.97 million on 2016 (from −US$106.51 million to −US$249.49 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was −US$4.17 million and a typical year strayed about US$119.25 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$178.35 million in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was US$314.09 million in 2008. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$16.48 million a year. A straight line explains 32% 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.

What this measures

Reserves and related items is the net change in a country's holdings of international reserves resulting from transactions on the current, capital, and financial accounts. Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency.Also included are net credit and loans from the IMF (excluding reserve position) and total exceptional financing. 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

Reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — US$33.43 million (2025)
• Argentina — −US$7.22 billion (2025)
• Aruba — −US$145.5 million (2023)
• Bahamas, The — US$242.14 million (2024)
• Belize — US$59.14 million (2025)
• Bolivia — −US$449.37 million (2025)
• Brazil — US$8.77 billion (2025)
• Chile — US$2.26 billion (2025)
• Colombia — US$4.67 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 reserves and related items (current US$, BoP)?

−US$249.49 million in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1967?

It is down 4,246% from US$6.02 million in 1967. The highest value was US$222.75 million in 2001 and the lowest −US$249.49 million in 2017.

Is the latest change in reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) unusual for Barbados?

In 2017, Barbados' reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) fell US$142.97 million on 2016 (from −US$106.51 million to −US$249.49 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2016), the average change was −US$4.17 million and a typical year strayed about US$119.25 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.RES.INCL.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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