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 separate 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.
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
| 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
- 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 jurisdiction itself is outside the US.