Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 7.3 years longer
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 78.8% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 4.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 15.6% more access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
have 11.8% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 7.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 58.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 44.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 27.7% more money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 88.6% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 74.7% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 57.7% fewer children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 39.1% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 52.0% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 60.7% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 24.9 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 93.5% less likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 31.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.5% more home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 4.5 times more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.