Religion in Barbados

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Religion in Barbados is predominantly Christian. Religious freedom is established by law and generally enforced in practice, although some minority religious groups have complaints about government practices that interfere with their beliefs.

Religion in Barbados (2010)
  1. Protestants (33.7%)
  2. Anglicans (28.8%)
  3. Other Christians (32.1%)
  4. Irreligious (1.9%)
  5. Bahá’ís (1.2%)
  6. Others (1.3%)

A significant population in Barbados is irreligious or identify with no religious institution, with 45.5% of the population (62,000 people out of 136,365) reporting no religion in the 2021 Barbados census.[1]

History

According to Historian Larry Gragg (Missouri University of Science and Technology - 2009), the Quakers community was first concentrated in and around Barbados before moving en masse Pennsylvania. The island was the first stop for slave ships coming from Africa, and the Quackers developed a balanced social environment "to challenge the practices of the planter class". In a 1860 census, 500 of the 20,000 white people in Barbados were Quackers. However, by the end of the 18th century, the Quackers culture had vanished, partly due to the persecution of the Church of England.[2]

St. Peter's Parish Church, Saint Peter, Barbados

Religious affiliations 1970 and 2010

The reference work Religions of the World provides the following data for Barbados:[3]

Religion Followers in 1970 Followers in 2010 % of Population 2010
Christians 235,000 284,000 95.5
- Protestants 50,600 100,000 33.7
- Anglicans 90,000 85,600 28.8
- Others 8,900 16,000 32.1
Agnostics 2,400 5,100 1.7
Bahá’ís 1,300 3,600 1.2
Muslims 400 2,300 0.8
Hindus 100 980 0.3
Atheists 0 700 0.2
New religionists 50 480 0.2
Buddhists 0 120 0.0
Spiritists 0 60 0.0
Jews 30 40 0.0
Ethnoreligionists 0 30 0.0
Total Population 239,000 297,000 100.0

Although Catholics are missing from the above chart, the same reference book gives their percentage as 4 percent in 1980 and 4.2 percent in 2000.[4]

The

Rastafarian Movement was introduced to Barbados in 1975.[5]

Religious freedom

The constitution of Barbados provides for the freedom of religion and prohibits discrimination based on creed;[6] there is a law against "blasphemous libel" but it is unenforced.

Religious groups are allowed to establish private schools and provide religious instruction, with some support from the government; education in Christian values is taught in primary schools, with several religions being taught at secondary level (students may opt out).[6]

The local community launched the bi-weekly publication The Rastafari Vision (TRV) in 2021.[7] Representatives of the Rastafari community have objected to mandatory vaccinations for schoolchildren.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "BSS clears air on 2021 census data". Barbados Today. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  2. ^ Technology, Missouri University of Science and (2009-07-13). "Historian's new book examines Quaker community of Barbados". News and Events. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
  3. ISBN 978-1598842043
    . Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  4. ISBN 978-1598842043
    . Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  5. ISBN 9781598842043
    . Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  6. ^ a b c US State Dept, 2022 report on Barbados
  7. ^ Traffic, Barbados Today (2021-07-21). "Rastafari community launches new publication". Barbados Today. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
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