Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 3.5 years longer
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
be 10.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Barbados, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
have 45.1% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
Economy
be 28.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Panama, that number is 8.4% as of 2025.
make 30.2% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
Life
have 42.7% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Panama, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 31.9% 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 Panama, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.6% less on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 54.3% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.7 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 27.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 57.4% more likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 99.0% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 51.6% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Panama has 18.1 as of 2023.
Environment
be 10.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.