Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 37.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.
live 2.6 years longer
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 22.2% more access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 84.3% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 28.0% more likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 16.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 4.0 times more money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
be 58.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Suriname, approximately 84.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Suriname, approximately 14.8 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.
have 35.2% fewer children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 19.5% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.0% more on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 74.9% less coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 38.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 14.1% more likely to be murdered
Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 99.9% more home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 22.2 times more strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.9% less CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 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: Suriname vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.