Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
live 9.2 years longer
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 31.9% more spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 30.5% more access to essential health services
Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.3 times more money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
be 3.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Barbados, however, that number is 25.7% as of 2016.
Life
be 77.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 59.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 44.6% fewer children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 13.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.8% less on education
Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 59.7% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 73.8% less coastline
Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 16.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.9 times more home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.