Land use in Barbados
Barbados: Land use was 8,000 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
8,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
187th
of 224 countries
All-time high
17,000 hectares
in 1961
All-time low
8,000 hectares
in 2016
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Barbados, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Barbados recorded 8,000 hectares for land use in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 23.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Barbados peaked at 17,000 hectares in 1961 and was at its lowest, 8,000 hectares, in 2016.
That places Barbados 187th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Barbados, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 17,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 17,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 16,000 hectares | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 16,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 16,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 15,000 hectares | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 15,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 14,000 hectares | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 14,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 13,000 hectares | -7.1% |
| 2011 | 12,000 hectares | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 11,000 hectares | -8.3% |
| 2013 | 10,500 hectares | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 10,000 hectares | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 9,000 hectares | -10.0% |
| 2016 | 8,000 hectares | -11.1% |
| 2017 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8,000 hectares | +0.0% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 8,000 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 303,040 hectares, 3% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 8,000 hectares is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 544,348 hectares, 1% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17,000 hectares | 17,000 hectares | 17,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 17,000 hectares | 17,000 hectares | 17,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 17,000 hectares | 17,000 hectares | 17,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 16,900 hectares | 16,000 hectares | 17,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 14,600 hectares | 14,000 hectares | 16,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 9,750 hectares | 8,000 hectares | 13,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,000 hectares | 8,000 hectares | 8,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 184 New Caledonia 9,700 hectares compare
- 185 Saint Lucia 9,570 hectares compare
- 186 Malta 8,291 hectares compare
- 187 Guam 8,000 hectares compare
- 187 Netherlands Antilles 8,000 hectares compare
- 190 Grenada 7,000 hectares compare
- 190 Marshall Islands 7,000 hectares compare
More environment data for Barbados
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -8.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 111.15 % change on previous year (2023)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2023)
- Temperature change 1.03 °C (2023)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.3571 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Barbados?
- Land use in Barbados was 8,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 17,000 hectares in 1961.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,000 hectares in 2016.
- How does Barbados rank for land use?
- Barbados ranks 187th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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