Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 76.7% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 7.1 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 89.3% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 88.8% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 32.5% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 30.9% more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 91.8% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 88.2% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 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 Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.0 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 Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.4% less on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 75.4% less on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 64.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.5% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
find 92.7% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.9% more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.