Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kiribati instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 9.7 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 15.7% more likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kiribati, that number is 45.6% of people as of 2024.
see 65.2% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kiribati spends $401 as of 2023.
have 37.7% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kiribati scores 48 as of 2021.
be 5.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kiribati, it is 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 91.0% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Kiribati, the GDP per capita is $2,559 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kiribati, there are 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 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 Kiribati, 80.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.3 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 Kiribati, on the other hand, 38.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 27.1% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kiribati, about 89.4% do as of 2024.
be 20.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Barbados, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Kiribati, 79% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.6 times more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Kiribati spends 16.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kiribati, that number is 10.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 11.8 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Kiribati, that number is 1,143 km.
Safety
be 38.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kiribati, they kill 6.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.9% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Kiribati has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 76.6% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kiribati emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kiribati, it causes 49.0 as of 2019.
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. Kiribati
Kiribati: At a glance
How big is Kiribati compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.