Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
have 10.1% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
be 56.6% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.7 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 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.
be 20.5% more likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
see 40.2% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
Economy
make 42.0% more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
have 11.3% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 45.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In Costa Rica, approximately 24.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 19.3% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.0% less on education
Costa Rica 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 21.4% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.5% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 58.1% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 35.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 60.9% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 14.9 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 26.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 54.6% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.