Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 29.0% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
live 3.6 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 18.9% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.
have 56.7% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.
have 23.4% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guatemala scores 59 as of 2021.
be 41.1% more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 76.7% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 85.4% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.7 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 Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.
be 89.0% 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.4% less likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.5% less on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 25.9% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.1 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.
Safety
be 3.1 times more likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 26.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guatemala, they kill 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 93.4% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 85.8% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 56.0% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guatemala, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Guatemala
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.