Mia Mottley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Mia Mottley SC MP
Mottley in 2021
8th Prime Minister of Barbados
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 May 2018
Monarch	Elizabeth II (until 2021)
President	Sandra Mason Jeffrey Bostic
Governor-General	Sandra Mason (until 2021)
Deputy	Santia Bradshaw (since 2022)
Preceded by	Freundel Stuart
7th Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados
In office 26 May 2003 – 15 January 2008
Prime Minister	Owen Arthur
Preceded by	Billie Miller
Succeeded by	Freundel Stuart
Leader of the Opposition
In office 26 February 2013 – 25 May 2018
Prime Minister	Freundel Stuart
Preceded by	Owen Arthur
Succeeded by	Joseph Atherley
In office 7 February 2008 – 18 October 2010
Prime Minister	David Thompson
Preceded by	David Thompson
Succeeded by	Owen Arthur
Member of Parliament for Saint Michael North East
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 September 1994
Preceded by	Leroy Brathwaite
Majority	3,243 (62.1%)
Chairwoman of the Caribbean Community
In office 1 January 2025 – 30 June 2025
Preceded by	Dickon Mitchell
Succeeded by	Andrew Holness
Personal details
Born	(1965-10-01) 1 October 1965 (age 60) Bridgetown, Barbados
Political party	BLP
Relations	Eva Mottley (cousin)
Education	Merrivale Preparatory School; United Nations International School; Queen's College (Barbados)
Alma mater	London School of Economics (LLB)

Mia Amor Mottley, born on October 1, 1965, is a leading politician and lawyer from Barbados. She has been the eighth Prime Minister of Barbados since 2018. She is also the leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mia Mottley is the first woman to hold both of these important positions in Barbados. Under her leadership, Barbados became a republic, moving away from having the Queen as its head of state. This made her the first Prime Minister of the Barbadian republic.

Mia Mottley has served as a Member of Parliament for the Saint Michael North East area since 1994. Before becoming Prime Minister, she held many different government roles from 1994 to 2008. She was even the Attorney-General of Barbados, the first woman to ever hold that job. She also served twice as the Leader of the Opposition in the Barbados Parliament, from 2008 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2018.

In the 2018 general election, her party, the BLP, won a huge victory, taking all 30 seats in Parliament. This was the most successful election in Barbados's history. Her party repeated this success in the 2022 general election, winning all 30 seats again. On February 11, 2026, she won a third term as Prime Minister, with her party once more securing all 30 seats in the 2026 Barbadian general election. As of 2026, she is the longest-serving female head of state or government in the world. She has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Mia Mottley's Early Life and Education

Mia Mottley was born in Bridgetown, Barbados. Her family has a strong history in politics. Her grandfather, Ernest Deighton Mottley, was a successful politician and the first Mayor of Bridgetown in 1959. He was recognized for his public service in Barbados.

Her father, Sir Elliott Deighton Mottley, was also a lawyer and politician. He served as a barrister and even as Bermuda's attorney-general. He also sits on the Court of Appeal of Belize.

Mia Mottley attended Merrivale Preparatory School, the United Nations International School, and Queen's College (Barbados). She later studied law at the London School of Economics and earned her law degree from the University of London in 1986.

Mia Mottley's Journey in Politics

Mia Mottley first became involved in Barbadian politics in 1991. From 1991 to 1994, she served as an Opposition Senator in the Senate of Barbados. In this role, she focused on culture and community development.

After her party, the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), won the 1994 Barbadian general election, Mottley was appointed Minister of Education, Youth Affairs, and Culture in September 1994. She was only 29 years old, making her one of the youngest Barbadians to hold a ministerial position. During this time, she helped create a plan for better education called Each Child Matters.

In 1996, she became the general secretary of the Barbados Labour Party. She also chaired the Caricom Standing Committee of Ministers of Education in 1996 and 1997.

In August 2001, Mottley was appointed Attorney-General of Barbados and Minister of Home Affairs. She was the first woman in Barbados to hold this important legal position. She also became the youngest ever Queen's Counsel in Barbados. She played a key role in the "EduTech" program, which aimed to improve education through technology.

Two years later, Mottley became the second female Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados. She also chaired important committees focused on telecommunications and preparing Barbados for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy. In February 2006, she became the Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, overseeing key economic agencies until 2008.

After her party lost the 2008 Barbadian general election in January 2008, Mia Mottley was elected as the leader of the BLP. She became the first woman to lead the party and the country's first female Opposition Leader. She promised to lead a strong opposition that would work for all citizens. In October 2010, there was a change in leadership, and Owen Arthur became the Leader of the Opposition.

In the February 2013 general election, the BLP narrowly lost. A few days later, on February 26, 2013, the BLP elected Mottley as Leader of the Opposition once again, replacing Owen Arthur.

Becoming Prime Minister

Mottley with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 24 September 2018

In the general election on May 24, 2018, the BLP achieved a historic victory. They won 72.8% of the popular vote and all 30 seats in the Parliament. Mia Mottley was sworn in as Barbados's first female Prime Minister on May 25, 2018. She also took on the role of Minister of Finance.

After the election, another Member of Parliament, Joseph Atherley, became the Leader of the Opposition. When she became Prime Minister, her government faced big economic challenges. She worked to fix the country's finances and make sure Barbados could grow stronger.

In September 2019, Mottley gave a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Her speech focused on climate change and its effects on Barbados and other Caribbean nations. In 2020, she served as the Chairperson of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a group of Caribbean countries.

Mottley at the opening ceremony of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on 1 November 2021

In 2020, Mottley's government announced a plan to make Barbados a republic. This meant removing the Queen of Barbados, Elizabeth II, as the country's head of state. Mottley believed it was time for Barbados to "fully leave our colonial past behind" after more than 54 years of independence. Barbados would become a parliamentary republic with a president as its head of state. On November 30, 2021, Barbados officially became a republic.

On October 12, 2021, Dame Sandra Mason, who was the Governor-General of Barbados, was nominated to become the country's first President of Barbados. She was elected on October 20 and took office on November 30, 2021.

Mottley spoke at the United Nations General Assembly again in September 2021. She gave a powerful speech, calling for global leadership to fight climate change, economic inequality, racism, and unfair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

Following her party's landslide victory in the 2022 Barbadian general election, Mottley was sworn in as prime minister for a second term on January 20, 2022. In June 2022, she tested positive for COVID-19 but had a mild case and recovered well.

In July 2022, Mottley hosted a meeting in Barbados with leaders from the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund. During this meeting, she presented the "Bridgetown Agenda," which offered solutions to reform the international financial system and address climate change. She also delivered important lectures, including the Kofi Annan Memorial Lecture in September 2022 and the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in November 2022.

In September 2024, Mottley addressed the United Nations General Assembly once more. She spoke about the importance of peace and how resources spent on conflicts could instead be used to fight climate change and diseases. In February 2025, at the African Union Summit, Mottley spoke about strengthening ties between Africa and the Caribbean.

On February 11, 2026, Mottley was elected to a third term as prime minister. Her party, the BLP, won all 30 seats in the House of Assembly for a third consecutive time.

Awards and Recognition

Mia Mottley has received many honors and awards for her work:

•  Kenya:
  • Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (2019)
•  Guyana:
  • Order of Roraima of Guyana (2020)
•  Venezuela:
  • Grand Cordon of the Order of the Liberator (2023)
•  Suriname:
  • Grand Cordon of the Ere-Orde van de Palm (2025)

Other Recognitions

• She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Champions of the Earth in 2021.
• In December 2020, Caribbean National Weekly named her Person of the Year.
• In May 2022, she was featured on the cover of TIME magazine, becoming the first Barbadian to do so. She was also named one of "The 100 Most Influential People of 2022" for her work on climate change.
• In November 2022, the United Nations Foundation honored her with a Global Leadership Award as a "Champion for Global Change."
• In December 2022, the BBC included her on its 100 Women list, recognizing her as one of the world's inspiring and influential women. The Financial Times also named her one of "The FT's 25 most influential women of 2022."
• In 2023, she was included in the Forbes list of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women."
• In 2025, Forbes magazine again named Prime Minister Mottley to their annual "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" list, where she ranked 99th.

See also

In Spanish: Mia Mottley para niños