Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 69.6% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.0 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
see 76.6% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 49.4% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 12.5% less access to essential health services
Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
Economy
make 11.6% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
have 40.8% more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Portugal, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Portugal, approximately 2.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 20.5% less likely to have internet access
In Portugal, approximately 88.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.8% less on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 47.3% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 94.6% less coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 10.3 times more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 38.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 17.2% less home broadband
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 7.1 times more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 24.1% less CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 90.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.