If you lived in Barbados instead of Canada, you would:

Health

be 62.9% less likely to die by suicide

Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 5.8 years less

In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 51.7% more likely to be obese

In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.

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see 84.9% less spent on your healthcare

Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.

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have 15.4% less access to essential health services

Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 49.1% less money

Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.

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Life

have 24.9% more children

In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Canada, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 93.6% more likely to die during infancy

In Canada, approximately 4.7 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.

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Basic Needs

be 25.4% less likely to have internet access

In Canada, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 26.4% less on education

Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 52.3% less on healthcare

Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 100.0% less coastline

Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.

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Safety

be 3.8 times more likely to be murdered

Canada has a homicide rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 11.9% less home broadband

Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.

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live with 23.5 times more strain on fresh water

Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 82.0% less CO2

Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Barbados: At a glance

Barbados is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 430 sq km. The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. African slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
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How big is Barbados compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.

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