Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 4.7 years longer
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 17.0% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 67.2% more spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 29.6% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 31.4% less 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 Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
have 10.2% fewer children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.9% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 49.2% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 27.2% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 13.3 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 2.4 times more likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 55.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 93.3% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 37.9% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 21.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 35.3% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.