Barbados, an English-speaking and independent Commonwealth country since 1966, is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands and close to the major international financial centres. Its gross domestic product (GDP) is among the highest in the Caribbean; in 2004 it was an estimated $2.3bn, equivalent to a per capita income of $8,462.
In fact, Barbados is 29th among 177 countries on the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index, the highest country placing among the Latin American and Caribbean region, with a standard of living comparable to many middle-income European countries.
