Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
be 64.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gabon, 2.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.
live 7.8 years longer
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 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 71.3% more spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 5.7 times more doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 57.1% more access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 52.1% less likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 73.8% more likely to be obese
In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 67.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
be 23.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gabon, 33.4% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Barbados, however, that number is 25.7% as of 2016.
make 3.4 times more money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
be 85.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 64.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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 59.0% fewer children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 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 11.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.4% more on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 72.5% more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.0% less coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 20.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 8.0 times more home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 175.0 times more strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 64.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.9% more CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.