Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 12.5 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 18.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 17.2 times more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 2.2 times more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 42.5% less likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 8.7 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 47.3 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 92.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 78.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 43.0 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 64.9% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 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 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% 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 3.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
be 79.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.7% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 57.4% more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.0% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 55.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 312.3 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 7.8 times more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 67.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 16.8 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 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: Madagascar vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.