More migrants have settled in Barbados over the last ten years than Barbadians are being born.

This was among the results of an analytical report on the 2000 census outlined during a Barbados Statistical Services technical seminar at the Manor Lodge Complex yesterday.

Director of Censuses and Demographic Statistics of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, Valerie Nam, said the migrants were mainly from Guyana and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Nam said while there was an overall growth of one per cent of births in Barbados, the population of non-nationals grew by ten per cent during the ten-year period, with about 23 000 being counted.

"The foreign growth rate is quite significant compared with the rest of the population," she said during an interview with MIDWEEK NATION.

In recent years there has been ongoing debate over Caricom nationals, particularly from Guyana, living and working in Barbados.

These debates have sparked controversy, resulting in Prime Minister Owen Arthur at one stage asking Barbadians to ease up on the Guyanese immigrants.

Nam added that the demographic trends for Barbados were also showing a slowing down of the birth rate, with less than 20 babies being born per 1 000.

This, she said, compared with 30 per 1 000 in other countries.

"Barbados is in a demographic transition," she said. "The population has almost stopped growing, and the death rate will tend to get higher."

She added that the report also noted the average age in Barbados was 34, with people under 20 considered as young, 20 to 29 as intermediate, and over 30 as old.

This, she said, was in keeping with global trends.

While these findings were contained in a report of the 2000 census, officials are gearing up for the 2010 census. * juliarawlins@nationnews.com