Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Namibia, you would:
Health
be 88.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Namibia, 9.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.
live 8.8 years longer
In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
have 5.3 times more doctors per person
Namibia has 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 22.2% more access to essential health services
Namibia scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 59.3% less likely to die by suicide
Namibia has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Namibia, 18.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 66.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Namibia, 19.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 5.8 times more money
Namibia has a GDP per capita of $4,876 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
be 47.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Namibia, 17.4% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Barbados, however, that number is 25.7% as of 2016.
Life
be 74.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Namibia, approximately 139.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 75.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Namibia, approximately 36.4 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.
have 57.0% fewer children
In Namibia, there are approximately 25.9 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 76.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Namibia, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 34% 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 14.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Namibia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.8% less on education
Namibia spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 43.0% less on healthcare
Namibia spends 9.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.8% less coastline
Namibia has a total of 1,572 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 33.6% less likely to be murdered
Namibia has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 54.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Namibia, 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 13.2 times more home broadband
Namibia has 2.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 282.3 times more strain on fresh water
Namibia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 55.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Namibia, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Namibia vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.