Government and power in Barbados

Who leads Barbados, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary parliamentary republic (since 2021).

Who leads Barbados?

• Head of state: Dame Sandra Mason (President of Barbados)
• Head of government: Mia Amor Mottley (Prime Minister, Minister for Economic Affairs and Development, and Minister for National Security of Barbados)
• Foreign minister: Kerrie D. Symmonds (Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Barbados

Government

• Government of Barbados
  Official portal with ministry information, government services and public notices.

Parliament

• Barbados Parliament (House of Assembly and Senate)
  Bills, Acts, order papers, Hansard and tabled reports, including Auditor General reports.

Elections

• Electoral and Boundaries Commission
  Voter registration information, constituency boundaries and election results.

Courts

• Supreme Court of Barbados (Barbados Judicial System)
  Judgments of the High Court and Court of Appeal, court lists and practice directions.
• Caribbean Court of Justice
  Appellate and original-jurisdiction judgments, case summaries, court rules and annual reports; it is the final court of appeal for this state.

Public audit

• Barbados Audit Office
  Annual reports of the Auditor General on government accounts, ministries and statutory bodies.

Laws and the official gazette

• Statutes of Barbados (Barbados Judicial System)
  Consolidated statutes, subsidiary legislation, annual Acts and statutory instruments of Barbados.

Government below the national level

• Parishes (11) and Bridgetown: No councils
• Constituency councils (30): 11 members appointed by the minister for two-year terms, after applying and being shortlisted by senior civil servants; the local MP is an ex officio member

How local power works in Barbados

Places in Barbados

• Official statistics for Barbados

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.