Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 66.8% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
live 3.1 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 41.3% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 81.3% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 22.1% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
be 40.0% more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
make 84.2% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 12.7% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 34.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Barbados, approximately 35.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 50.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Barbados, approximately 9.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.7% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bhutan, about 91.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.1% less on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 64.3% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 66.8% less likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 22.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.4% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 92.2% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 20.2% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.