Venezuela and Barbados
Venezuela and Barbados announced their first joint cooperation commission in August 2026. A joint declaration signed during Mia Mottley's visit opened an agenda of projects in energy, agriculture, culture, education, tourism and transport.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-08 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-08Bilateral context
On 24 August 2026, Venezuela's foreign ministry reported Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley's visit to a field hospital in Guarenas.
What merchandise trade shows
In 2025, goods trade between Venezuela and Barbados totalled 0.142 million current USD.
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, machinery and mechanical appliances stands out in shipments from Barbados to Venezuela, at 0.08 million USD in 2025.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 0.142 M USD | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Venezuela to Barbados | 0.0597 M USD | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Barbados to Venezuela | 0.0821 M USD | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Venezuela to Barbados | ||
| Export share: Barbados to Venezuela | ||
| Investment stock: Venezuela in Barbados | ||
| Investment stock: Barbados in Venezuela |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · UN Comtrade · Goods; full calendar year; reporter BRB. Both directions come from the same verified customs document, not from adding mirror declarations together. Exports generally FOB; imports generally CIF.
- Goods: Venezuela to Barbados
- 2025 · UN Comtrade · Goods; full calendar year; reporter BRB. Both directions come from the same verified customs document, not from adding mirror declarations together. Exports generally FOB; imports generally CIF.
- Goods: Barbados to Venezuela
- 2025 · UN Comtrade · Goods; full calendar year; reporter BRB. Both directions come from the same verified customs document, not from adding mirror declarations together. Exports generally FOB; imports generally CIF.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | Venezuela | Barbados |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 99.66 billion USD2025 · WB | 8.02 billion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 3,494.81 USD2025 · WB | 28,364.82 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 1.57 %2025 · WB | 2.7 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | ||
| Inflation · annual average | 0.85 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | ||
| Unemployment | 5.31 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 6.52 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -5.8 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -0.3 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 308.7 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 94.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | ||
| Population | 28,516,8962025 · WB | 282,6232025 · WB |
| Area | 912,050 km²2023 · WB | 430 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDVenezuela: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Barbados: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personVenezuela: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Barbados: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Venezuela: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Barbados: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Barbados: 2025 · Annual average CPI change (%) · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency stated
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionVenezuela: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate; percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Barbados: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate; percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Venezuela: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.Barbados: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Venezuela: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.Barbados: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Current account balance
- % of GDP
- Population
- PeopleVenezuela: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Barbados: 2025 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceVenezuela: 2023 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.Barbados: 2023 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Venezuela to Barbados
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Barbados to Venezuela
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
| Machinery and mechanical appliances | 0.08 M USD2025 · Source |
Connections between people
It included energy, agricultural, cultural, educational and tourism projects, as well as air and maritime transport. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Venezuela living in Barbados | ||
| Residents from Barbados living in Venezuela | ||
| Study and training: Venezuela in Barbados | ||
| Study and training: Barbados in Venezuela | ||
| Academic stays: Venezuela in Barbados | ||
| Academic stays: Barbados in Venezuela | ||
| Travel: Venezuela to Barbados | ||
| Travel: Barbados to Venezuela |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
The scale of both economies
Nominal GDP for Venezuela is 99.7 billion USD (2025), compared with 8 for Barbados (2025). The reference populations are 28.52 and 0.283 million, respectively. In the same year, the economy of Venezuela was 12.43 times that of Barbados in nominal GDP. The comparison provides context on market size, but does not, on its own, measure influence, well-being or diplomatic closeness. Estimates and their sources retain their labels in the tables. [4] [5]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Review: 2026-10-08
Bilateral context
On 24 August 2026, Venezuela's foreign ministry reported Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley's visit to a field hospital in Guarenas. During that visit, Delcy Rodríguez announced that ministerial teams had held meetings and that both leaders had signed a joint declaration. [1]
Cooperation and bilateral issues
The new agenda was intended to extend beyond the emergency prompting the healthcare response. It included energy, agricultural, cultural, educational and tourism projects, as well as air and maritime transport. The first joint commission between the two countries was announced as a mechanism for permanent coordination between cabinets and for overseeing and implementing commitments. The declaration and creation of the mechanism constitute the reported outcomes, while sectoral projects were expressed as future work. [1]
What merchandise trade shows
In 2025, merchandise trade between the two countries (Venezuela and Barbados) totalled 0.142 million current USD. Shipments from the first to the second were 0.0597 million; those in the opposite direction, 0.0821 million. The difference between the two flows was 0.0224 million, in favour of Barbados. This is a goods balance, not the total balance of the economic relationship: it excludes services, income and transfers. Both directions come from a single customs reporter to avoid adding mirror records. [2]
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, machinery and mechanical appliances stands out in shipments from Barbados to Venezuela, at 0.08 million USD in 2025. The table compares eight selected chapters with the same coverage as the trade total. It is not a complete list or proof that the first item in this selection is the leading product across the entire relationship. A chapter groups numerous goods: machinery and components, for example, do not describe a single business transaction. [3]
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Institutional sources and periods accompany each figure. Annual trade, investment positions, residents and visits are distinct measures. Empty cells do not mean zero. Statements of intent are not presented as project implementation or treaties in force.
- Bilateral relations — VEN-BRB
mppre.gob.ve · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- UN Comtrade annual data; reused verified primary payload, not re-downloaded
UN Comtrade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record
UN Comtrade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Official series — gdp
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Official series — population
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
Additional sources on products and human connections
- UN Comtrade
2026-10-08 · Accessed: 2026-10-08 · Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record.