Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 42.5% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Barbados, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
live 7.8 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 41.6% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 82.4% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
have 36.4% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
be 30.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Gabon, however, that number is 33.4% as of 2017.
make 70.9% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.7 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.8 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 10.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Barbados, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Gabon, 89% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.8% less on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 42.0% less on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.1 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.
Safety
be 25.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.4% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 87.5% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 18.7% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.