If you lived in Barbados instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 58.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 18.7 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 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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see 8.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.

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have 40.0 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.

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have 2.4 times more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.

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be 61.9% less likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 51.0 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.

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Life

be 94.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 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 84.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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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have 75.9% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 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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Basic Needs

be 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% 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.

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be 5.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 49.3% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 94.5% more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 61.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 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 1874.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.

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live with 257.4 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 80.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.

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emit 42.0 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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 Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

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