Independent rankings built from public data — every figure traceable to the body that published it.

Photo: Berit Watkin , derivative work (crop) by Globe-trotter · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 01 of 12 · Country Index 2026
How well is the state actually run?
Barbados is placed 85th of 193 countries on governance & institutions in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 5 key statistics. Readings behind it: Government Effectiveness 0.605 (2024); Government AI Readiness Index 23.33 (2025).
Governance & Institutions
85th
of 193 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 5 key statistics
01The evidence
Only these place Barbados on governance & institutions — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country in that edition, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 5
World Bank Group
Why it is a key: The quality of public services and the civil service that delivers them, and the credibility of a government's commitment to its own policies. Where the Corruption Perceptions Index asks whether a state is honest, this asks whether it is competent.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
0.605
Governance estimate (−2.5 weak to 2.5 strong)
Higher is better
Barbados: 0.605. Across the 209 countries in this edition, values run from -2.173 (South Sudan) to 2.28 (Singapore); the world median is 0.01.
Each grey tick is one of 209 countries in the 2024 edition.
Key 2 of 5
Oxford Insights
Why it is a key: Government capacity to adopt modern technology in public service delivery. Correlates 0.835 with Statistical Performance, inside the 0.92 bar, and kept because readiness to use data is not the same as the ability to collect it.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
23.33
AI readiness score (0–100)
Higher is better
Ranked 155th of 195 by Oxford Insights
Barbados: 23.33. Across the 195 countries in this edition, values run from 12.12 (Guinea-Bissau) to 88.36 (United States); the world median is 40.19.
Each grey tick is one of 195 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 3 of 5
World Bank Group
Why it is a key: Whether a state can measure its own country. Nothing else here tests the capacity of the statistical system itself.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
61.74
SPI overall score (0–100)
Higher is better
Barbados: 61.74. Across the 188 countries in this edition, values run from 27.12 (South Sudan) to 94.14 (Norway); the world median is 69.3.
Each grey tick is one of 188 countries in the 2024 edition.
Key 4 of 5
Transparency International
Why it is a key: How much corruption the people who actually deal with a government perceive — an outcome, where the rest of this topic measures capacity.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0 (the data), CC BY-ND 4.0 (the website and report)
68
CPI score (0–100, where 100 is very clean)
Higher is better
Ranked 24th of 181 by Transparency International
Barbados: 68. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 9 (Somalia) to 89 (Denmark); the world median is 39.
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 5 of 5
Open Data Watch
Why it is a key: Whether official statistics are published openly and usably, which is a separate question from whether they are produced at all.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
ODIN overall score (0–100)
Higher is better
Open Data Watch publishes no 2024 figure for Barbados, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 168 countries in this edition, values run from 19 (Turkmenistan) to 90 (Poland); the world median is 59.
Each grey tick is one of 168 countries in the 2024 edition.
02Over time
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Governance estimate (−2.5 weak to 2.5 strong) · higher is better
BarbadosWorld median
Barbados fell from 0.753 in 2000 to 0.605 in 2024; the world median went from -0.316 to 0.01.
| Year | Barbados | World median |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0.6046 | 0.0100 |
| 2023 | 0.6052 | -0.0178 |
| 2022 | 0.7073 | -0.0433 |
| 2021 | 0.6626 | -0.0445 |
| 2020 | 0.6106 | -0.0570 |
| 2019 | 0.7790 | 0.0008 |
| 2018 | 0.9790 | -0.0850 |
| 2017 | 0.9782 | -0.0494 |
| 2016 | 0.9781 | -0.0573 |
| 2015 | 1.1636 | -0.0652 |
| 2014 | 1.1650 | -0.0643 |
| 2013 | 1.2094 | -0.1437 |
| 2012 | 1.2905 | -0.1872 |
| 2011 | 1.2760 | -0.2491 |
| 2010 | 1.2232 | -0.2029 |
| 2009 | 1.3184 | -0.2422 |
| 2008 | 1.5294 | -0.2768 |
| 2007 | 1.3271 | -0.2973 |
| 2006 | 1.4131 | -0.3138 |
| 2005 | 1.3424 | -0.3488 |
| 2004 | 0.6015 | -0.2985 |
| 2003 | 0.7406 | -0.4232 |
| 2002 | 0.7535 | -0.3086 |
| 2000 | 0.7532 | -0.3159 |
AI readiness score (0–100) · higher is better
BarbadosWorld median
Barbados fell from 40.8 in 2020 to 23.33 in 2025; the world median went from 39.58 to 40.19.
| Year | Barbados | World median |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23.3 | 40.2 |
| 2024 | 41.1 | 43.3 |
| 2023 | 40.1 | 41.4 |
| 2022 | 39.5 | 40.3 |
| 2021 | 42.2 | 44.1 |
| 2020 | 40.8 | 39.6 |
SPI overall score (0–100) · higher is better
BarbadosWorld median
Barbados rose from 60.7 in 2022 to 61.74 in 2024; the world median went from 67.99 to 69.3.
| Year | Barbados | World median |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 62 | 69.30 |
| 2023 | 63 | 68.86 |
| 2022 | 61 | 67.99 |
| 2021 | — | 69.96 |
| 2020 | — | 62.91 |
| 2019 | — | 61.19 |
| 2018 | — | 61.17 |
| 2017 | — | 59.55 |
| 2016 | — | 56.25 |
CPI score (0–100, where 100 is very clean) · higher is better
BarbadosWorld median
Barbados fell from 76 in 2012 to 68 in 2025; the world median went from 37 to 39.
| Year | Barbados | World median |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 68 | 39.0 |
| 2024 | 68 | 40.0 |
| 2023 | 69 | 40.0 |
| 2022 | 65 | 39.5 |
| 2021 | 65 | 39.0 |
| 2020 | 64 | 40.0 |
| 2019 | 62 | 39.5 |
| 2018 | 68 | 38.0 |
| 2017 | 68 | 38.5 |
| 2016 | 61 | 38.0 |
| 2015 | — | 37.0 |
| 2014 | 74 | 38.0 |
| 2013 | 75 | 38.0 |
| 2012 | 76 | 37.0 |
03In context
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 193 countries on governance & institutions, never a place within the region.
Barbados has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. The standing is each country’s place among all 193 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Government EffectivenessGovernance estimate (−2.5 weak to 2.5 strong) | Government AI Readiness IndexAI readiness score (0–100) | Statistical Performance IndicatorsSPI overall score (0–100) | Corruption Perceptions IndexCPI score (0–100, where 100 is very clean) | Open Data InventoryODIN overall score (0–100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77th | 0.171 | 40.09 | 73.47 | 44 | 60 | |
| =79th | 0.075 | 43.73 | 75.22 | 37 | 62 | |
| 85th | 0.605 | 23.33 | 61.74 | 68 | — | |
| 91st | 0.268 | 26.66 | 64.17 | 59 | — | |
| 106th | 0.709 | 31.18 | 51.26 | 64 | 34 | |
| 107th | 0.268 | 21.5 | 51.96 | 63 | — | |
| 109th | 0.111 | 32.73 | 59.38 | 41 | 51 | |
| 110th | 0.43 | 25.04 | 63.21 | — | — | |
| 119th | 0.149 | 19.76 | 40.71 | 60 | — | |
| =120th | 0.02 | 19.36 | 50.81 | 56 | — | |
| =125th | -0.27 | 27.92 | — | 40 | 45 | |
| =141st | 0.691 | 20.85 | 42.66 | — | — | |
| 191st | -2.016 | 14.94 | 38.74 | 16 | 25 | |
| not placed | 1.112 | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | 0.657 | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | — | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | 1.184 | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | — | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | — | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | -0.255 | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | — | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | — | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | — | — | — | — | — | |
| not placed | 0.375 | — | — | — | — |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 193.
The countries immediately above and below Barbados in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
15 more statistics filed under governance & institutions, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Statistics on which Barbados does better than the middle country measured.
Barbados: 89.85 · world median 50.46 · Civic space score (0–100). CIVICUS, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.17 to 100; higher is better.
Position 8th of 198 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 1.31 · world median 0.305 · Agriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.03 to 5.38; higher is better.
Position 11th of 132 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 0.797 · world median 0.497 · Electoral democracy index (0–1). V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.016 to 0.913; higher is better.
Position 29th of 176 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 0.994 · world median -0.02 · Voice and Accountability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from -2.29 to 1.929; higher is better.
Position 38th of 208 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 22.54 · world median 17.81 · Government funding per primary student (% of GDP per capita). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 3.771 to 34.57; higher is better.
Position 13th of 68 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 0.728 · world median -0.1 · Rule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from -2.205 to 2.021; higher is better.
Position 54th of 211 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 0.441 · world median -0.09 · Regulatory Quality (−2.5 to 2.5). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from -2.035 to 2.132; higher is better.
Position 64th of 209 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 66.55 · world median 65.82 · Operational efficiency score (0–100). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 40.36 to 87.33; higher is better.
Position 22nd of 50 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 56.7 · world median 52.1 · Population covered by at least one social protection benefit (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.
Barbados: 98.7 · world median 98.4 · Children under 5 whose birth is registered (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.7 to 100; higher is better.
Barbados: 3.775 · world median 3.709 · Government expenditure on education (% of GDP). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 16.39; higher is better.
Position 60th of 123 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Statistics on which Barbados does worse than the middle country measured.
Barbados: 80 · world median 81.25 · WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 26.25 to 100; higher is better.
Position 101st of 190 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 46.4 · world median 50.13 · Public services score (0–100). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 18.35 to 73.31; higher is better.
Position 31st of 50 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Barbados: 58.77 · world median 66.8 · Regulatory framework score (0–100). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 46.21 to 78.34; higher is better.
Position 40th of 50 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Barbados: 8.2 · world median 7.975 · Public sector wage bill (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0.977 to 42.65.
Position 79th of 168 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No current reading for Barbados
Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, Debt Service on External Debt, External Debt Stocks (% of GNI), General Government Consumption, Open Data Inventory, Public Sector Employment and Trade Union Density. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Governance & Institutions is Barbados’s 6th best-placed topic of 11. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
No standing on Economy & Innovation: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
The three countries placed highest of 193, and the leaders Barbados can most readily be measured against.
1Denmark
Northern Europe
1st of 193 · 5 of 5 keys
Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Norway
Northern Europe
2nd of 193 · 5 of 5 keys
Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Finland
Northern Europe
3rd of 193 · 5 of 5 keys
Photo: Joonas Lyytinen · CC BY-SA 2.5, greyscale
Highest in Americas
Highest in Caribbean
This page
Positions out of 193 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
08Questions
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
Barbados is placed 85th of 193 countries on Governance & Institutions in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 5 key statistics (Government Effectiveness, Government AI Readiness Index, Statistical Performance Indicators and Corruption Perceptions Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
0.605 in 2024 (governance estimate (−2.5 weak to 2.5 strong)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.01.
23.33 in 2025 (aI readiness score (0–100)), according to Oxford Insights. The world median in the same edition was 40.19.
Government Effectiveness fell from 0.753 in 2000 to 0.605 in 2024; Government AI Readiness Index fell from 40.8 in 2020 to 23.33 in 2025; Statistical Performance Indicators rose from 60.7 in 2022 to 61.74 in 2024; Corruption Perceptions Index fell from 76 in 2012 to 68 in 2025.
No current reading is published for Barbados on Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, Debt Service on External Debt, External Debt Stocks (% of GNI), General Government Consumption, Open Data Inventory, Public Sector Employment and Trade Union Density. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Keep reading
10Method
What this topic does not measure
Governance is not democracy. Free elections, civil liberties and press freedom belong to the Democracy & Civil Liberties topic, and a country can place well on one and poorly on the other. Nor does this topic measure the size of government or how much it spends — the share of the economy run by the state is published on this page as context, with no better end.
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
The other 15 statistics on this page come from 7 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Barbados’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
Nations Inquiry (2026). Barbados: Governance & Institutions — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/barbados/governance