Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 6.5 years longer
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 43.7% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 6.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 47.8% more doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 15.6% more access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
be 65.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
make 3.5 times more money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 91.4% 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 Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 76.9% less 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 Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 39.6% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 66.3% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 51.2 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 82.7% less likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 76.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.6% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 57.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.4 times more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.