Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 23.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.
live 10.3 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 12.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 32.9 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 67.4% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 27.2% less likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.2 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 30.9 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
be 90.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 62.8% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 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 49.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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.
be 42.2% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
be 13.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.7% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 86.9% more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 21.2% more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 54.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 72.1 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 39.6 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 78.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.0 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 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: Gambia vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.