Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 49.8% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
see 13.6% more spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
be 15.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Barbados, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 15.7% of people as of 2024.
live 7.0 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
have 87.2% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 28.6% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 37.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Botswana, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2015.
be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
make 72.6% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.4 times 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 Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.1% less likely to be literate
In Barbados, the literacy rate is 99.6% as of 2014. In Botswana, it is 88.5% as of 2015.
be 3.5 times 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 Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Barbados, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 18.3% less likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.9% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 52.8% more likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 65.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.5% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 80.1% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
Environment
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2014–2015). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.