Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
live 2.5 years longer
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 21.9% more doctors per person
Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
be 16.7% less likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 28.1% more likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.6 times more money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
be 28.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 71.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 67.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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.
have 36.9% fewer children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 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 22.7% less likely to have internet access
In Dominican Republic, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.4% more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% 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
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 31.9% less likely to be murdered
Dominican Republic has a homicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 63.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.3 times more home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 29.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.7% less CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 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: Dominican Republic vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.