Overview of Human Rights in Barbados

Barbados is a constitutional democracy. While the government works to respect the human rights of its citizens, there are a few areas of concern. Excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, poor prison conditions, and violence against children are the main human rights violation areas. All other rights such as the freedom of religion, press and speech are generally respected by the government.  Overall, Barbados enjoys of the world's best records of human rights.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

31st out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.