Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 63.1% more likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
see 58.8% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 81.0% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 28.6% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 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 Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 14.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.
make 79.3% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.9 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 Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 35.2% 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 Samoa, on the other hand, 12.3 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.4% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 25.6% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.2 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Infrastructure
find 97.7% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 36.5% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 78.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
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. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.