Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 40.8% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 25.0% more spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 20.9% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
be 61.4% more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 42.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
make 53.7% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.7% 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 Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.1% 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 Malaysia, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
have 11.2% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 39.3% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.7% less on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 48.2 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 90.2% less likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 39.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.1% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 63.8% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 3.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.