Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Barbados instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 77.6% less likely to die by suicide
United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.6 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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 91.4% less spent on your healthcare
United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Barbados spends $1,153 as of 2023.
have 19.6% fewer doctors per person
United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Barbados has 29.6 as of 2022.
have 10.5% less access to essential health services
United States scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Barbados scores 77 as of 2021.
Economy
be 55.2% more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Barbados, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 68.5% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $28,365 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Barbados, 35.0 women do as of 2023.
be 65.5% more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 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.
Basic Needs
be 25.7% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 94.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Barbados, about 70.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.3% less on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Barbados spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 67.6% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.5% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.
Safety
be 29.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In United States, road accidents kill 14.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Barbados, they kill 10.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 29.2% more likely to be murdered
United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water
United States withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Barbados withdraws 88% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 81.5% less CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 35.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Barbados, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United States vs. Barbados
Barbados: At a glance
How big is Barbados compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.