Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, you would:
Health
live 5.0 years longer
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 74 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 27.1% more spent on your healthcare
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends $908 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 11.6% more access to essential health services
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines scores 69 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 13.9% more likely to be obese
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 34.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
be 8.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a suicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 18.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 2.3 times more money
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a GDP per capita of $12,562 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
be 37.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 56.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, approximately 10.2 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 44.9% less on education
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends 6.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 21.6% more on healthcare
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines spends 4.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.5% more coastline
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a total of 84 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 85.5% less likely to be murdered
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a homicide rate of 51.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, road accidents kill 4.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.2% more home broadband
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has 29.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 11.1 times more strain on fresh water
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 24.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, air pollution causes 25.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 92.4% more CO2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emits 1.3 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines vs. Barbados
MORE COMPARISONS
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines? See an in-depth size comparison.