Bariwala is a town as well as a nagar panchayat situated in the Muktsar district in the state of Punjab in the northwestern part of India. The state of Punjab has a total of nineteen districts and the Muktsar District is one of them. The district headquarters are located in the town of Muktsar. Other notable towns in the district are Malout (the largest town by population) and Gidderbaha. The district is home to many Sikh temples (gurudwaras). Some of these are Drabar Sahib, Shaheedi Gurudwara, and Tibbi Sahib. A huge fair, the "Maghi mela" which is celebrated every year in the month of January, draws many people to the town of Muktsar.

As per the 2001 India census, Bariwala has a population of 7545. Males and females respectively make up 53% and 47% of the population. Bariwala has a mean literacy rate of 41%, lower than the nationwide mean of 59.5%. 45% of the males and 55% of the females are literate. Children below six years of age constitute 13% of the population.