Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 43.6% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
live 6.1 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
have 34.8% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
be 95.1% more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 34.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 76.9% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
be 85.7% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 88.0% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.3 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 64.0% less likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 20.5% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 20.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 86.1% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
live with 54.5% more strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
Environment
be 4.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.3 times more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.