← Back to Index

Barbados

44.9 Early Autumn #99 of 217 · BRB · Latin America & Caribbean · High income · Data: 7/7
What's Driving the Score
Base CCI (7 indicators weighted) 43.0
Hidden extraction (shadow economy, employer burden) +1.5
Resource masking (depletable resource dependency) +0.1
Development adj (spending below expected for income level) +0.3
Total CCI 44.9
Development Context
GDP per capita: $26,545
Actual spending: 28.8% GDP
Expected (Wagner): 32.1% GDP
Gap: 3.3% below expected
Indicator Breakdown
Each indicator is normalized to 0-100. Higher = more late-cycle pressure. The composite CCI is a weighted average plus adjustments.
Spending
28.8% GDP 37.6 2016
Debt
99.8% GDP 49.9 2024
Growth
2.7% 48.7 2024
Migration
-0.25/1000 50.6 2024
Governance
0.75 35.0 2024
Fiscal Pressure
25.6% of revenue 51.3 2016
Demographic
Fert: 1.71 | Dep: 25% 32.2 2024
Spending (18% weight) - Total general government expenditure as % of GDP. Source: IMF WEO. Range: 10% (lean) to 60% (heavy state). Higher spending = further in the cycle.
Debt (14%) - Gross government debt as % of GDP. Source: IMF WEO. Range: 0-200%. Debt accumulation is how states finance extraction beyond revenue.
Growth (15%) - Average real GDP per capita growth over 5 years. Source: IMF WEO / World Bank. Inverted: low or negative growth signals extraction is suffocating the productive economy.
Migration (10%) - Net migration rate per 1000 population. Source: UN Population Division via World Bank. Inverted: people leaving is the most honest indicator - they vote with their feet.
Governance (18%) - Composite of control of corruption, government effectiveness, rule of law, and regulatory quality. Source: World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators. Inverted: poor governance = extraction without accountability.
Fiscal Pressure (13%) - Interest payments as % of government revenue. Source: World Bank WDI. When interest consumes revenue, the state must tax more, borrow more, or print - the death spiral mechanism.
Demographic (12%) - Composite of fertility rate (below replacement = future worker shortage) and old-age dependency ratio (more retirees per worker = more fiscal pressure). Trajectory signal - affects the cycle in 20-30 years.
Hidden Extraction
Shadow Economy -
Social Contributions 0% rev
Self-Employment 19.5%
Spending-Revenue Gap 5.4% GDP
Total Hidden Adjustment +1.5 pts
Official spending data understates real extraction. These proxies estimate what's hidden:
Shadow Economy - % of GDP operating outside formal taxation. Source: IMF WP 18/17 (Medina-Schneider). Brazil at 35% means a third of the economy is escaping formal taxation - but citizens still pay through embedded costs.
Social Contributions - Employer payroll burden as % of government revenue. Hidden from workers' payslips. A 22% figure means significant extraction happens before workers see their salary.
Self-Employment - High rates signal people fleeing formal employment because the extraction burden makes it unprofitable. Informal/self-employed workers still pay consumption taxes.
Spending-Revenue Gap - Difference between what the state spends and what it collects as formal tax. The gap is funded by hidden channels: forced savings (e.g. FGTS in Brazil), state enterprises, parastatal organizations, or money printing.
CCI Trajectory (2000-2026) +14.6 pts over 26 years
Spring E.Sum M.Sum L.Sum E.Aut M.Aut L.Aut E.Win 0 20 40 60 80 100 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2026 30.3 26.9 42.7 40.9 45.7 44.9 data 7/7 0/7
Historical CCI computed from available indicators per year (spending, growth, governance, fiscal pressure, demographics). Not all 7 indicators are available for every year - early data points use fewer indicators. The trend direction matters more than absolute values.
Nearest Countries by CCI Score
# Country CCI Season Delta Data
98 Jordan 45 Early Autumn +0.1 7/7
96 Turkmenistan 45.1 Early Autumn +0.2 5/7
97 Chad 45.1 Early Autumn +0.2 5/7
100 Guatemala 44.6 Early Autumn -0.3 7/7
101 Nicaragua 44.6 Early Autumn -0.3 7/7