Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Saint Lucia, you would:
Health
live 3.5 years longer
In Saint Lucia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (69 years for men, 76 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 33.6% less likely to die by suicide
Saint Lucia has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 13.3% more likely to be obese
In Saint Lucia, 34.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
have 30.1% fewer doctors per person
Saint Lucia has 42.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
Economy
be 31.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Saint Lucia, 9.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 92.4% more money
Saint Lucia has a GDP per capita of $14,746 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Saint Lucia, approximately 44.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Saint Lucia, approximately 15.8 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.
Expenditures
spend 14.2% more on healthcare
Saint Lucia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 38.6% less coastline
Saint Lucia has a total of 158 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 80.9% less likely to be murdered
Saint Lucia has a homicide rate of 39.0 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 12.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Saint Lucia, road accidents kill 8.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.8 times more home broadband
Saint Lucia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 6.1 times more strain on fresh water
Saint Lucia withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 47.4% more CO2
Saint Lucia emits 1.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Saint Lucia vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Saint Lucia? See an in-depth size comparison.