Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 15.0 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 20.0 times more doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 92.5% more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 58.8% less likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.1 times more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 24.7 times more money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
be 87.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 85.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burkina Faso, approximately 242.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 79.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Burkina Faso, approximately 43.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Barbados, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
have 64.5% fewer children
In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 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 4.6 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burkina Faso, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
be 98.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burkina Faso, approximately 50% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.2% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 30.8% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 64.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 44.1 times more home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 11.2 times more strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 77.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.3 times more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.