Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 5.7 years longer
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 13.7% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
see 4.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 22.1% more doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 10.4% more access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 74.8% more money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 80.0% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.0% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 32.9% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.3% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 86.3% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 156.0 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 80.4% less likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 34.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 90.8% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 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. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.