Population decline threatens Barbados – PM

Barbados’ head of government has once again raised the alarm about the negatives of a declining population, calling it a crisis and saying that it threatens the island nation’s way of life if not addressed quickly in the coming months.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley laid a policy document in parliament this week, ringing the alarm bells about the state of play and suggesting that the time has come to take action in much the same way authorities in The Bahamas are complaining about population issues and the links to labor shortages.

“Our country is in a crisis with respect to an ageing and declining population. Our country needs now to take decisions that may be difficult for some but necessary for all. That decision will lead to us committing to maintaining our values and our way of life as we know it. This country has seen a declining population, an ageing population, a declining level of production as a result, and declining taxation,” she told fellow lawmakers. Barbados and The Bahamas have among the highest living standards in the 15-nation Caribbean Community.

She pointed to the ageing population and what it means for not enough people in the workforce contributing to incoming tax revenues for the government, calling for a frank and forthright discussion of structured immigration and migration as solutions to a growing crisis.

“We believe that this thing can be managed properly,” the PM said, noting the need for the right balance between immigration and population growth. Barbados has a strong caring infrastructure, and it does not come cheap. If we are going to maintain that because we believe in equity and we believe that the most vulnerable must be taken care of, then it means we have to manage carefully how we grow the economy, but equally making sure that the systems that are necessary to make sure that everybody can benefit and improve the quality of life, can be done.”

Earlier this year, Minister of Science and Technology, Marsha Caddle had detailed the state of play as far as population numbers are concerned, noting that numbers have fallen from 277 821 in 2010 to 269 090 in 2021, based on 2021 census data. “We are now at the place where we have a declining population. We are not replacing ourselves as quickly as we are dying,” Caddle also told parliament.

PM Mottley hinted about CARICOM nationals playing a role in improving the situation, recalling their contribution to the construction and agricultural sectors in the past. “We have had the opportunity of knowing how CARICOM people have been able to add value to this country, and in areas of construction and agriculture, there was a time where if you did not have those persons living here helping to control the price of work laborers in agriculture and construction, the level of inflation and cost of living would have gone through the roof at a much earlier point. That is why in many countries the absence of available labor has led to cost of living increases.”