Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 94.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.
live 13.2 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Barbados, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.
be 18.4% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Barbados, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 46.3% more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,600 as of 2024, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $19,900 as of 2024.
be 77.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 33.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 7.6% as of 2024.
pay a 25.6% lower top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Barbados, the top tax rate is 33.5% as of 2016.
Life
be 70.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.9% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 25.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Barbados, on the other hand, 9.6 children do as of 2020.
have 53.4% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 17.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025. In Barbados, there are 8.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 86% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Barbados, 100% of the population do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 16.3% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 96.5% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Barbados, South African Revenue Service.
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.