Country Profile of Barbados
Main statistical agency
Main statistical agency name
Barbados Statistical Service
Web address
www.barstats.gov.bb
Position in the government
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Development is the Ministry with Supervisory responsibilty for the Barbados Statistical Service.
Organizational structure and finance
The office is financed by the government of Barbados.
The department is headed by a Director, assisted by a Deputy Director. There are four (4) divisions each headed by a Senior Statistician:
• Business Surveys
• Census & Surveys
• Socio-Economic & Gender Statistics
• Trade & National Accounts
Multi-annual or annual work program
National Accounts estimates
Vital Statistics
Compilation of Overseas Trade data
Tourism Statistics
Retail price index
Labour force statistics (eg. employment and unemployment)
Household Budget Survey
Index of Industrial Production
Maintaining the Business Register
Main duties
The main duties are the collection, compilation and dissemination of data. We also collaborate with other agencies on the conduct and analysis of surveys.
The Business Surveys Division is charged with the responsibility of collecting comprehensive information on the industrial sector.
The Census and Surveys Division is responsible for :
• Conducting household surveys
• Producing Labour Force statistics
• Producing the Retail Price Index
• Conducting field operations related to population censuses with assistance from other Divisions
The Trade Section is responsible for the compilation of international trade statistics according to internationally - accepted standards.
These statistics are prepared according to both the General and Special systems of compilation, and are available in both Harmonised System (HS) and Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) order.
The Socio-Economic Statistics Division is responsible for collecting, collating and publishing statistics on the broad subject areas of tourism, population and vital events (births, deaths etc.) and other general social indicators
Brief history and other relevant background information
Brief history and other relevant background information
In 1956, the department was set up through the technical assistance programme of the United Nations. Professor Dudley Seers, who was then attached to Sussex University was contracted to set up the department, which was staffed initially by aproximately twenty persons.
In that same year, the first Abstract of Statistics was compiled and published under the guidance of Professor Seers. Areas covered included Population, Social, Trade and Financial, Industrial and Labour, National Income and Expenditure and Meteorological Statistics were published.
The department moved to its new home in 1957 at the Garrison after being housed at Government Headquarter in the previous year. It remained at this location until it moved to the National Insurance Building in 1975, where it remains to date.
The current Director is Mrs. Angela Hunte and the Deputy Director is Mr. Trevor Knight.
Legal basis
Legal basis
Data are produced under the authority of the "Statistics Act, 1958, chapter 192" of the Laws of Barbados, guaranteeing the confidentiality of individual responses.
Other producers of official statistics
Other producers of official statistics
The "Central Bank Act, 1972" requires the Central Bank of Barbados to collect information on financial and economic conditions in Barbados and elsewhere. Data include:
o Assets and liabilities of financial institutions
o Loans by maturity and sectoral distribution
o Deposits by maturity and depositor
o Purchase and sales of foreign exchange
o Central Bank statement of accounts and deposit liabilities
o Annual report
o Annual balance of payments
The Treasury Department compiles data on government operations and debt for the monitoring, analytical, and policy-making needs of the Government in accordance with the "Financial Administration and Audit Act".
Statistical advisory bodies
Statistical advisory bodies
Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians (SCCS)
Regional Census Coordinating Committee (RCCC)
Social Indicator and Millennium Development Goals in Barbados (SIMDG)
Data collection
Most recent population census
1 May 2000
Access to administrative data
The Statistical Service has access to administration data from various sources. These include the Value Added Tax Division, Customs Department, National Insurance Department, Accountant General, Inland Revenue and others.
Data confidentiality
Data confidentiality is enshrined in the Statistics Act CAP 192 which provides for the protection of information supplied by respondents. No information provided by respondent may be published or made available to users in any form which would enable identification of particulars relating to any person, undertaking or business.
Data dissemination
Release calendar (existence, when and how published)
Once statistics become public they are made available on request to all users. However, there is no general policy of informing the general public of the availability of the data.
There is no advance release calendar.
Main publications
Population and Housing Census 1990
Population and Housing Census 2000
Industrial Census 1994 (Adhoc)
Annual Trade Report
Annual Digest of Tourism Statistics
Monthly Statistical Digest
Index of Industrial Production Bulletin (Monthly)
Overseas Trade Bulletin (Monthly)
Retail Price Index Bulletin (Monthly)
Tourism Statistics Bulletin (Monthly)
Labour Force Survey Bulletin (Quarterly)
Retail Price Index: Methodology
Report on Household Budget Survey (1998-1999)
Continuous Labour Force Report (1996-2001)
Trade Data for 1 year (on CD-ROM)
Languages of main publications
The publications are in English.
How are data disseminated (Paper, CD Rom, Website, online databases, databanks)?
The data are disseminated by hardcopy, CD-ROM, E-mail, Telephone, Fax, and personal visits.
Availability of microdata for research purposes
While data are generally made available to users once available, the current Statistics Act (CAP 192) the current interpretation of this act imposes a limitation on the release of microdata for research purposes. However, with the Statistics being now under review, consideration is being given to the development of a policy on release of such data for the purpose of facilitating research.
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