Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
live 3.3 years longer
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 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.
be 46.6% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 2.9 times more doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 35.1% more access to essential health services
Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
be 26.0% less likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.3 times more money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 47.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Tonga, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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 51.7% fewer children
In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.0% less on education
Tonga spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 26.6% less on healthcare
Tonga spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.8% less coastline
Tonga has a total of 419 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 17.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.6 times more home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.
Environment
be 20.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 54.6% more CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 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: Tonga vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.