Press freedom in Barbados
Barbados: Press freedom was 2 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Press freedom in Barbados, 1979–2016
Source: Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2016, press freedom in Barbados stood at 2. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, press freedom in Barbados peaked at 2 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1979.
Barbados ranks 1st of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.12 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 1990s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 1 Andorra 2 compare
- 1 Australia 2 compare
- 1 Austria 2 compare
- 1 Bahamas 2 compare
- 1 Belgium 2 compare
- 1 Belize 2 compare
- 1 Canada 2 compare
- 1 Cape Verde 2 compare
- 1 Chile 2 compare
- 1 Costa Rica 2 compare
- 1 Cyprus 2 compare
- 1 Czechia 2 compare
- 1 Denmark 2 compare
- 1 Dominica 2 compare
- 1 Estonia 2 compare
- 1 Finland 2 compare
- 1 France 2 compare
- 1 Germany 2 compare
- 1 Grenada 2 compare
- 1 Iceland 2 compare
- 1 Ireland 2 compare
- 1 Jamaica 2 compare
- 1 Japan 2 compare
- 1 Kiribati 2 compare
- 1 Latvia 2 compare
- 1 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 1 Lithuania 2 compare
- 1 Luxembourg 2 compare
- 1 Malta 2 compare
- 1 Marshall Islands 2 compare
- 1 Mauritius 2 compare
- 1 Monaco 2 compare
- 1 Netherlands 2 compare
- 1 New Zealand 2 compare
- 1 Norway 2 compare
- 1 Palau 2 compare
- 1 Papua New Guinea 2 compare
- 1 Portugal 2 compare
- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 1 Saint Lucia 2 compare
- 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 compare
- 1 Samoa 2 compare
- 1 San Marino 2 compare
- 1 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 1 Slovakia 2 compare
- 1 Slovenia 2 compare
- 1 Solomon Islands 2 compare
- 1 Spain 2 compare
- 1 Suriname 2 compare
- 1 Sweden 2 compare
- 1 Switzerland 2 compare
- 1 Taiwan 2 compare
- 1 Tonga 2 compare
- 1 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 1 Tuvalu 2 compare
- 1 United Kingdom 2 compare
- 1 United States 2 compare
- 1 Uruguay 2 compare
- 1 Vanuatu 2 compare
More social development data for Barbados
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 577 (2025)
- Physical Integrity Rights Score 1.71 (2019)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 722 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 8 (2025)
- Forcibly displaced people 13 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is press freedom in Barbados?
- Press freedom in Barbados was 2 in 2016, according to Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest press freedom recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 2 in 1988.
- What is the lowest press freedom recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1979.
- How does Barbados rank for press freedom?
- Barbados ranks 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
- Is press freedom rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Press freedom. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the classification and data by Freedom House. It captures the legal, political, and economic environment of the press.