If you lived in Barbados instead of Turkmenistan, you would:

Health

live 6.1 years longer

In Turkmenistan, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 53.3% more doctors per person

Turkmenistan has 19.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.

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be 48.8% less likely to die by suicide

Turkmenistan has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 77.4% more likely to be obese

In Turkmenistan, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Barbados, that number is 39.4% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 4.3 times more money

Turkmenistan has a GDP per capita of $6,540 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.

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be 52.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Turkmenistan, 4.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.

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Life

be 70.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Turkmenistan, approximately 30.4 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.

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be 7.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Turkmenistan, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 46.8% fewer children

In Turkmenistan, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access

In Turkmenistan, approximately 25.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 17.0% less on education

Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 25.0% more likely to die in a road accident

In Turkmenistan, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 7.2 times more home broadband

Turkmenistan has 5.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Barbados has 37.5 as of 2022.

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live with 35.3% less strain on fresh water

Turkmenistan withdraws 135% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 78.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Turkmenistan, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.

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emit 76.8% less CO2

Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Barbados: At a glance

Barbados is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 430 sq km. The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. African slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
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How big is Barbados compared to Turkmenistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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