Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 1.2 years longer
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 67.4% more spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 10.0% more access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 17.5% less likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 12.9% more likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 8.9 times more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
be 29.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 41.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.6% more likely to be literate
In Nicaragua, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2015. In Barbados, it is 99.6% as of 2014.
have 41.9% fewer children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 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 13.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% 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 internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.9% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 24.0% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 89.3% less coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 34.4% less likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 26.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.5 times more home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 39.4 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 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), The World Factbook (2014–2015), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.