| Country: | Barbados |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 1966 Barbadian general election |
| Previous Year: | 1966 |
| Next Election: | 1976 Barbadian general election |
| Next Year: | 1976 |
| Turnout: | 81.62% (1.92pp) |
| Seats For Election: | 24 seats in the House of Assembly |
| Majority Seats: | 13 |
| Election Date: | 9 September 1971 |
| Image1: | Errol Barrow 1968 - 2.png |
| Leader1: | Errol Barrow |
| Party1: | Democratic Labour Party (Barbados) |
| Last Election1: | 14 seats |
| Seats1: | 18 |
| Seat Change1: | 4 |
| Popular Vote1: | 53,295 |
| Percentage1: | 57.40% |
| Swing1: | 7.84pp |
| Party2: | Barbados Labour Party |
| Last Election2: | 8 seats |
| Seats2: | 6 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| Popular Vote2: | 39,376 |
| Percentage2: | 42.41% |
| Swing2: | 9.81pp |
| Prime Minister | |
| Before Election: | Errol Barrow |
| Before Party: | Democratic Labour Party (Barbados) |
| After Election: | Errol Barrow |
| After Party: | Democratic Labour Party (Barbados) |
General elections were held in Barbados on 9 September 1971.[1] Amendments to the electoral system saw the two-member constituencies previously used replaced by single-member first-past-the-post constituencies.[2] This was also the first election in modern Barbadian history to be contested by only two political parties, not including two independent candidates.[3]
The result was a victory for the Democratic Labour Party, which won 18 of the 24 seats. Despite achieving a larger increase in vote share than its opponent, the Barbados Labour Party lost two seats and its leader, Harold Bernard St. John, was defeated in his constituency of Christ Church South Central.[4] Voter turnout was 81.6%, the highest in the country's history.[1]