Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
see 64.4% more spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Brunei spends $1,896 as of 2023.
be 12.9% less likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Brunei, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 0.8 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
have 36.2% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Brunei has 18.9 as of 2021.
Economy
be 19.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
make 13.6% more money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
Life
have 19.9% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 36.9% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Brunei, about 96.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 58.7% less on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 66.0% more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 64.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.0% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Brunei withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 43.5% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 8.0 times more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.