246 Area Code
Barbados · Bridgetown
The 246 area code serves Barbados. It is part of the North American Numbering Plan, so the country shares the same +1 prefix as the United States and Canada, but Barbados is a sovereign jurisdiction with its own telecom regulator and carriers.
About Barbados
- Country
- 🇧🇧Barbados (BB)
- Capital
- Bridgetown
- Population
- 282,309 (2024)
- Area
- 439 km²
- Currency
- Barbadian dollar (BBD), pegged 2:1 to USD
- Languages
- English, Bajan Creole
- Timezone
- America/Barbados (UTC−4, no DST)
- Internet TLD
- .bb
- Drives on
- Left
History
Creation: Area code 246 was assigned to Barbados by NANPA in 1995 and put into service on July 1, 1996, as the 172nd area code in the NANP. It was created by splitting Barbados out of the shared Caribbean area code 809, which had served the region since 1958. A permissive dialing transition allowed callers to use either 809 or 246 until January 15, 1997, when the new code became mandatory.
Predecessor: Before 246, numbers in Barbados used 809.
Mnemonics: The digits 246 map to letter combinations on the standard telephone keypad, yielding 27 possible three-letter mnemonics. Telecom regulators sometimes pick one of these as a marketing handle (e.g. ‘BHA’ for The Bahamas, ‘TNT’ for Trinidad and Tobago).
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_code_246, World Bank — Barbados (2024), ITU — National Numbering Plan, Barbados.
How to call Barbados
No 011 prefix needed — Barbados is part of the NANP, so calls dial like a domestic North American number. Long-distance and roaming charges still apply.
Use your country's international access code (00 in most of Europe, 0011 in Australia), then 1, the 246 area code, and the local number.
Domestic calls use seven digits — no area code prefix needed.
Major cities in Barbados
Settlements served by the 246 area code, ranked by population. Smaller territories may have a single major settlement plus surrounding villages.
| City | Population | % of country |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgetown | 110,000 | 39.0% |
| Speightstown | 3,634 | 1.3% |
| Oistins | 2,285 | 0.8% |
| Holetown | 1,605 | 0.6% |
| Bathsheba | 1,768 | 0.6% |
| Listed total | 119,292 | 42.3% |
Telecom operators
Numbers in the 246 area code are assigned by Barbados's telecom regulator to the following landline and mobile operators.
- Digicel
- Flow (Cable & Wireless)
Frequently Asked Questions
246 is the area code for Barbados. It is part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), which is why Barbados shares the same +1 country prefix as the United States and Canada — but the country itself is sovereign.