Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
live 0.8 years longer
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
have 56.8% more doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
see 39.2% less spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
be 14.8% more likely to die by suicide
Brunei has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Brunei, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 12.0% less money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
have 16.6% fewer children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 26.9% less likely to have internet access
In Brunei, approximately 96.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 39.8% less coastline
Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 77.0% more home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 25.2 times more strain on fresh water
Brunei withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 87.5% less CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.