Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Barbados
Barbados: Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) was 3.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Barbados, 1970–2025
Source: International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for foreign direct investment, net inflows in Barbados is 3.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.6% on the previous year and down 71.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows in Barbados peaked at 13.3% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1985.
Barbados ranks 65th of 201 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Barbados, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.5% | — |
| 1971 | 8.4% | +28.2% |
| 1972 | 9.0% | +6.9% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | -75.9% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | -64.4% |
| 1975 | 1.1% | +45.2% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | +41.8% |
| 1977 | 1.0% | -37.3% |
| 1978 | 1.6% | +63.8% |
| 1979 | 4.5% | +178.1% |
| 1980 | 2.9% | -36.0% |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +15.7% |
| 1982 | 3.0% | -9.8% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | -56.7% |
| 1984 | 2.7% | +104.6% |
| 1985 | 0.3% | -87.1% |
| 1986 | 0.5% | +45.5% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | -16.8% |
| 1988 | 1.4% | +244.0% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | -69.8% |
| 1990 | 0.6% | +28.8% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | -34.1% |
| 1992 | 0.7% | +100.9% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -38.3% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | +32.1% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | +378.1% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | -76.7% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | +68.5% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -8.3% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | +55.6% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +49.6% |
| 2001 | 3.0% | +24.4% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | +145.4% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | -21.7% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | +15.2% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | +54.1% |
| 2006 | 8.1% | -20.5% |
| 2007 | 10.2% | +25.5% |
| 2008 | 12.8% | +26.0% |
| 2009 | 8.0% | -37.9% |
| 2010 | 7.8% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 8.3% | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 9.6% | +16.5% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -80.9% |
| 2014 | 13.3% | +620.9% |
| 2015 | 12.1% | -8.9% |
| 2016 | 9.8% | -18.7% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -84.1% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +157.3% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | -13.2% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | +38.9% |
| 2021 | 4.0% | -17.3% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | -27.6% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | 4.0% | +28.1% |
| 2025 | 3.4% | -14.6% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 3.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 1.6× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 3.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.5%, 1.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) in Barbados changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +620.9% | 1.8% | 13.3% |
| 1995 | +378.1% | 0.6% | 2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.7% | 0.8% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 0.3% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.4% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.4% | 2.4% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.2% | 1.6% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 2.9% | 4.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More economy & growth data for Barbados
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.99 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -64.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 55.55 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -66.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0014 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 40.56 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate -18.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0583 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows in Barbados?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows in Barbados was 3.4% in 2025, according to International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3% in 2014.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1985.
- How does Barbados rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows?
- Barbados ranks 65th out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 71.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments databases, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Foreign direct investment is the net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, other long-term capital, and short-term capital as shown in the balance of payments. This series shows net inflows (new investment inflows less disinvestment) in the reporting economy from foreign investors, and is divided by GDP.