Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
live 1.3 years longer
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 71.5% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
see 56.0% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 61.6% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 13.0% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 4.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 44.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 82.4% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 48.6% 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 Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.9% 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 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 22.4% less likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.6% less on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 31.9% less on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 13.8 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 15.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 77.4% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 57.9% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 94.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 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. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.