Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Palau, you would:
Health
live 7.0 years longer
In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 63.6% more doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 18.5% more access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
see 37.9% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
Economy
make 45.2% more money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
be 60.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Palau, approximately 89.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 51.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Palau, approximately 18.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 16.2% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.2% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.6% less coastline
Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 55.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.1 times more home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 97.0% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.