Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Swaziland, you would:
Health
be 95.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Swaziland, 23.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.
live 12.1 years longer
In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 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 25.1% more spent on your healthcare
Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 5.3 times more doctors per person
Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 37.5% more access to essential health services
Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 87.1% less likely to die by suicide
Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 33.1% more likely to be obese
In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 80.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 6.9 times more money
Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Swaziland, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 78.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 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.
have 53.0% fewer children
In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 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 15.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 11.0% more likely to have internet access
In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
be 23.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.0% less on education
Swaziland spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 28.0% less on healthcare
Swaziland spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 40.5% less likely to be murdered
Swaziland has a homicide rate of 12.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 59.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 14.9 times more home broadband
Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 12.8% more strain on fresh water
Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 71.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Swaziland emits 0.9 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Swaziland vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.