Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 11.4% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
live 1.2 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 40.3% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
be 21.1% more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 88.8% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
have 72.1% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 71.4% 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 Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
be 17.1% less likely to be literate
In Barbados, the literacy rate is 99.6% as of 2014. In Nicaragua, it is 82.6% as of 2015.
Basic Needs
be 11.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Barbados, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 12.7% less likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nicaragua, about 61.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.4% less on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 53.7% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.4 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 52.6% more likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 11.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 36.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.5% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 84.6% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 67.1% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2014–2015), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Nicaragua
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.