Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 10.7% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
be 51.7% less likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 10.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Barbados, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 4.7 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 24.7% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 84.4% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
Economy
be 49.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 71.8% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.7 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 Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.9% less likely to be literate
In Barbados, the literacy rate is 99.6% as of 2014. In Jamaica, it is 88.7% as of 2015.
be 80.2% 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 Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 28.1% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Jamaica, about 90.1% do as of 2024.
be 11.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Barbados, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Jamaica, 88% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 54.8% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 40.7% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.5 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 6.6 times more likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 78.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 85.9% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 57.4% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 15.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.7% more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2014–2015), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.