Barbados Homicide Statistics January to May 2025

At the end of May 2025, Barbados had recorded at least 2 homicides between May 1st and May 31st. For the year so far, i.e., January 1 to May 31, the island has had at least 19 homicides.

Disclaimer: My count and analysis are based solely on media reports, as such, numbers may be under-stated. The figures and insights provided below should not be considered official or final.

This website, barbadoscrimeblog.com, is a spin-off from caribbeansignal.com. Past data on homicides in Barbados can be found on caribbeansignal.com using various tags such as “Murders.” There is also the Barbados Homicide Database where you can run your own reports.

The map in Image 1 illustrates the distribution of homicides across Barbados for the period January to May 2025, with at least 19 cases recorded. St. Michael had the highest count, followed by Christ Church and St. Philip with 9, 4 and 3 homicides respectively. St. Lucy, St. James and St. Thomas each recorded one. The remaining parishes—St. Andrew, St. Peter, St. Joseph, St. George, and St. John—reported no homicides.

A new column, “Approach Method,” was added to Table 1. This captures, when available through news reports, how the attacker approached the victim. For example, was it a drive-by, or did the assailant(s) drive to the scene, exit the vehicle, and then attack? In both cases, I would categorize it as ‘Motorcar.’ Alternatively, was the attack carried out on foot, such as a fight that broke out in a bar or an attacker approaching the victim on the street? This variable is subjective, as it relies on the specific details available from media reports.

Chart 1 shows the number of homicides in Barbados between the months of January and May 2025. January recorded seven homicides, making it the deadliest month of the year so far. In February, the number dropped to three. March maintained the same number of homicides as February, with three recorded for the month. April rose to 4 homicides, while May recorded 2.

Chart 2 displays the distribution of homicides across the parishes of Barbados for the period January to May 2025. St. Michael has the highest number of homicides, with 9 recorded. This was followed by Christ Church, which recorded 4 homicides and St. Philip which recorded 3. Meanwhile, St. Thomas, St. Lucy and St. James each had one homicide during this period. The remaining five parishes – St. Andrew, St. Peter, St. Joseph, St. George, and St. John—recorded no homicides.

Chart 3 displays the per capita homicide rates across the parishes of Barbados for January to May 2025, measuring the number of homicides per 100,000 residents in each parish. Unlike absolute homicide counts, this metric provides a clearer picture of the relative impact of violent crime in each area by accounting for population size.

St. Michael and St. Lucy both recorded the highest per capita homicide rate at 10.2 per 100,000 people, however, while St. Michael recorded 9 homicides, St. Lucy recorded only one (in absolute terms). This suggests that while St. Lucy had fewer total homicides than other parishes, its smaller population makes the impact of crime proportionally higher.

Chart 4 categorizes and displays the methods used in homicides across Barbados for the period January to May 2025. Shooting-related incidents dominate, accounting for 11 cases, making firearms the most prevalent weapon in violent crimes for the year. Blade/Edge-related weapons, such as knives or machetes, were the second most common, with 7 cases. Other methods (fighting/beating/et cetera) accounted for 1 case.

Chart 5 categorizes and displays the age group of homicide victims in Barbados from January to May 2025. The age groups of 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 stand out with the highest number of victims, with 12 homicides for the year so far (6 in each age group). The youngest victim was 13 years old, while the eldest was 50 years old. The average age of victims was 29 years old. No age data was available for two victims.

Chart 6 reveals a significant gender disparity in homicide victims in Barbados for the period January to May 2025. 18 males lost their lives compared to 1 female.

Chart 7 categorizes and displays the timing of homicides in Barbados for the period January to May 2025. The majority of the homicides (14) occurred during the workweek, compared to 5 on the weekend. Note: I define the workweek as Monday to Thursday.

Chart 8 categorizes and displays homicides in Barbados for the period January to May 2025 by day of the week. The majority of homicides took place on Tuesday (5), followed by Thursday (4). Monday, and Friday had 3 each. Wednesday had 2, while Saturday and Sunday had one each.

Chart 9 categorizes the number of homicides in Barbados for the period January to May 2025, broken down by specific time slots. Most homicides occurred during the 8 PM to 12 AM time slot (9 homicides). This was followed by the 8 AM to 12 PM and 4 PM to 8 PM time slots (3 each respectively).

barbadoscrimeblog.com is the personal blog of Amit Uttamchandani. Posts or comments made by Amit on this blog represent His personal views, opinions, thoughts, et cetera. Furthermore, the information presented do not represent official crime statistics. Raw data, i.e., the Excel file(s) used to create this post, as well as raw data dumps from the Barbados Homicide Database are available for purchase.