Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Syria, you would:
Health
live 3.8 years longer
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 9.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 94.5% more doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 20.3% more access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 19.5% more likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
be 5.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
be 68.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Barbados, however, that number is 25.7% as of 2016.
make 26.8 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
be 48.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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.
be 75.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
have 52.0% fewer children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 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 13.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 51.0% more likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 99.3% more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 49.7% less coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 66.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.5 times more home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
live with 29.6% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
be 77.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 98.4% more CO2
Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2014–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.