If you lived in Barbados instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:

Health

live 2.7 years less

In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 66.8% less spent on your healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.

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have 13.2% fewer doctors per person

Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.

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be 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.

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make 17.9% less money

Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.

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Life

be 5.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 93.6% more likely to die during infancy

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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.

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have 32.6% fewer children

In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 29.6% less likely to have internet access

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 20.5% less on education

Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 96.3% less coastline

Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.

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Safety

be 45.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 91.0% less strain on fresh water

Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.

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find 15.0% less home broadband

Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 79.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.

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emit 86.4% less CO2

Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Barbados: At a glance

Barbados is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 430 sq km. The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. African slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
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How big is Barbados compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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