Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Maldives instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 5.0 years longer
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 54.7% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 98.4% more spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Maldives spends $2,288 as of 2023.
be 58.0% less likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 24.4% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Maldives has 22.4 as of 2019.
have 20.8% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Maldives scores 61 as of 2021.
Economy
be 30.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.
be 79.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Maldives, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2019.
make 48.5% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.
Life
be 48.4% 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 Maldives, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.1% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Maldives, about 85.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.2% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Maldives spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 71.3% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Maldives, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.6 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Maldives, that number is 644 km.
Safety
be 87.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Maldives, they kill 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 82.1% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Maldives withdraws 16% as of 2022.
find 47.6% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 52.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Maldives, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 41.7% more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Maldives emits 3.6 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. Maldives
Maldives: At a glance
How big is Maldives compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.