Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 9.2 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 24.2% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.
have 23.4% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Marshall Islands scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Marshall Islands, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2019.
make 70.1% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.
Life
have 80.7% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.4 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 Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.5 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 Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Barbados, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, 87% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.2 times more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.8 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.
Safety
be 19.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.7% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.