Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
live 4.7 years longer
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 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 32.8% more spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 6.4 times more doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
be 12.0% more likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.5 times more money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
be 98.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 73.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.3% more likely to be literate
In Jamaica, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2015. In Barbados, it is 99.6% as of 2014.
be 44.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 13.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.
be 21.9% less likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 90.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.4% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 28.9% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.5% less coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 85.0% less likely to be murdered
Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 43.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.3 times more home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 7.1 times more strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 13.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.3% less CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2014–2015), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Jamaica vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.