If you lived in Barbados instead of Liberia, you would:

Health

live 14.0 years longer

In Liberia, the average life expectancy is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 4.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Liberia spends $233 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.

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have 16.6 times more doctors per person

Liberia has 1.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.

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have 71.1% more access to essential health services

Liberia scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.

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be 41.4% less likely to die by suicide

Liberia has a suicide rate of 6.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.2 times more likely to be obese

In Liberia, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 49.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Liberia, 50.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Barbados, however, that number is 25.7% as of 2016.

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make 31.0 times more money

Liberia has a GDP per capita of $915 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.

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be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Liberia, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.

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Life

be 94.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Liberia, approximately 628.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be literate

In Liberia, the literacy rate is 48.3% as of 2017. In Barbados, it is 99.6% as of 2014.

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be 85.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Liberia, approximately 63.2 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.

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have 63.6% fewer children

In Liberia, there are approximately 30.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 3.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Liberia, approximately 32% of people have electricity access (53% in urban areas, and 9% 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.

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be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Liberia, approximately 32.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.

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be 25.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Liberia, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 58.5% less on healthcare

Liberia spends 13.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 56.8% more on education

Liberia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 83.2% less coastline

Liberia has a total of 579 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.

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Safety

be 34.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Liberia, road accidents kill 15.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 138.8 times more home broadband

Liberia has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.

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live with 336.5 times more strain on fresh water

Liberia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 68.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Liberia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.

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emit 16.8 times more CO2

Liberia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2014–2017), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Barbados: At a glance

Barbados is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 430 sq km. The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. African slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
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How big is Barbados compared to Liberia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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