Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Swaziland instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 24.9% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 29.6% of people as of 2024.
be 23.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Barbados, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 23.4% of people as of 2024.
live 12.1 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024.
see 20.0% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Swaziland spends $922 as of 2023.
have 81.2% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Swaziland has 5.6 as of 2023.
have 27.3% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Swaziland scores 56 as of 2021.
be 7.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Swaziland, it is 27.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Swaziland, that number is 34.2% as of 2025.
make 85.5% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Swaziland, the GDP per capita is $4,108 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Swaziland, there are 23.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.4 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 Swaziland, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.6 times 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 Swaziland, on the other hand, 42.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.6% 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 Swaziland, that number is 86% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 18.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Barbados, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Swaziland, 80% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 69.4% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Swaziland spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 38.9% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Swaziland, that number is 7.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 68.1% more likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Swaziland, that number is 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Swaziland, they kill 24.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 11.4% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Swaziland withdraws 78% as of 2022.
find 93.3% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Swaziland has 2.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 65.1% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Swaziland, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Swaziland
Swaziland: At a glance
How big is Swaziland compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.