Caribbean import-fuel crisis.
prob 0.48
severity 3.5 / 5 · revision 2026-05-10elevated · 14 Caribbean economies · diesel + jet fuel + power$ shortage country get BRB > stress_index: 0.46 WATCH > 1 events · 1 scenarios > refreshed 2026-05-17
BRENT $84.27 ▲ TTF €31.50 ▼ OPEC_SP 3.8 mb/d ● SPR_US 372.4 Mb FAO_FFPI 121.4 ▲
The v3.2 stress index is a six-axis composite of energy and food exposure, geopolitical pressure, fiscal headroom, demography and supply concentration, normalised to a 0–1 scale.
Barbados imports almost all of its energy and food, with a small domestic oil and gas output covering a fraction of demand. It has set an ambitious renewable-energy target to cut import reliance. Hurricanes and tiny domestic resources define its exposure.
Barbados is one of the world's most water-scarce countries, reliant on groundwater and desalination.
No major lake or reservoir
| STOCK TYPE | RESERVE | DAYS COVER | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil · commercial inventoriesAlmost all fuel is imported; a small domestic output covers a fraction of demand. | moderate | 25days | WATCH |
| Electricity · oil-fired with rising solarPower is largely oil-fired, with an ambitious push toward solar to cut import reliance. | transitioning | — | WATCH |
| Food · commercial stocksNegligible agriculture leaves Barbados dependent on imported staples. | minimal | 25days | WATCH |
$ curl -s https://api.shortage.life/v1/countries/BRB | jq '.stress' > 0.46