Browse a full set of economic indicators

The Bahamas

Includes The Bahamas real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about The Bahamas economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of The Bahamas best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital City: Nassau

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Central Bank of The Bahamas
Currency Bahamian dollars (BSD)
International Reserves USD 1.41 billion (2017)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 12.8 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 12.6 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2007 1.4%
2008 -2.3%
2009 -4.2%
2010 1.5%
2011 0.6%
2012 3.1%
2013 -0.4%
2014 -0.1%
2015 1%
2016 -1.7%
2017 1.4%
2018 2.3%

*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 34,002.6 (2018, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 33,494.2 (2018, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 1980 0.02%
1990 0.01%
2000 0.01%
2010 0.01%
2019* 0.009%
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 1%
industry: 13.2%
services: 74.9%
(2017 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2015 1.9%
2016 -0.3%
2017 1.6%
2018* 2.2%
2019* 1.8%

*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2015 1.9%
2016 -0.3%
2017 1.6%
2018* 2.2%
2019* 1.8%

*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: BB+

Moody’s: Baa3

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s
Unemployment rate 2015 13.4%
2016 12.2%
2017 10.1%
2018* 10.4%
2019* 13.5%

*Estimate
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2015 49.7%
2016 50.4%
2017 54.4%
2018* 63.3%
2019* 61.5%

*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2015 -3.8%
2016 -2.6%
2017 -5.5%
2018* -3.4%
2019* -1.8%

*Estimate

Market value of publicly traded shares 2016 N/A
2017 N/A
2018 N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 33.7% (2017)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.003% (2018)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.06% (2018)
Total exports USD 3.9 billion (2018 estimate)
Export commodities Rock lobster, aragonite, crude salt, polystyrene products
Total imports USD 5.5 billion (2018 estimate)
Import commodities Machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals
Exports – major partners US 63.9%, Namibia 19.3% (2017)
Imports – major partners US 83.2% (2017)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -1.5 billion (2018 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP -12.1 % (2018 estimate)
FDI inflows 2016 USD 1,260 million
2017 USD 1,037 million
2018 USD 943 million
FDI Outflows 2016 USD 359 million
2017 USD 130 million
2018 USD 119 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser 2015 N/A
2016 N/A
2017 N/A
2018 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

119 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 94 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 77 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 81 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 181 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 152 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 88 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 50 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 161 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 82 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 71 out of 190 countries
Global competitiveness ranking N/A
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 76 / Score: 62.9 (Moderately free)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Total Area 13,880 sq km
Total Population 1990 0.26 Million
2000 0.3 Million
2010 0.35 Million
2015 0.36 Million
2020 0.39 Million
Urban population as % of total population 1960 59.7%
1980 73.1%
2000 82 82%
2020 83%
Population median age 32.3 years
Population growth rate 0.79% (2018 estimate)
Life expectancy 72.9 years (2018 estimate)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day N/A
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) N/A
Freedom House rating Free
Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 1 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 29.4%

Mobile: 99%

(2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 85 % (2017)

Language & Religon

Languages English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Literacy N/A
Religions Protestant 69.9% (includes Baptist 34.9%, Anglican 13.7%, Pentecostal 8.9% Seventh Day Adventist 4.4%, Methodist 3.6%, Church of God 1.9%, Brethren 1.6%), Roman Catholic 12%, other Christian 13% (includes Jehovah’s Witness 1.1%), other 0.6%, none 1.9%, un

World Rankings

Population 0.39 million
Mercer Cost of living index N/A
C02 Emissions per capita 6.52 metric tons per capita (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: The Bahamas

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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