Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 86.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Malawi, 8.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

live 6.1 years longer

In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Barbados, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.0 times more likely to be obese

In Malawi, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Barbados, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 10.3 times more money

Malawi has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2022, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $15,400 as of 2022.

be 66.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Malawi, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Barbados, that number is 8.5% as of 2022.

pay a 11.7% higher top tax rate

Malawi has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Barbados, the top tax rate is 33.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 89.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Malawi, approximately 381.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 48.0% more likely to be literate

In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 99.6% as of 2014.

be 71.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Malawi, approximately 33.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Barbados, on the other hand, 9.6 children do as of 2020.

have 59.8% fewer children

In Malawi, there are approximately 26.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 7.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Malawi, approximately 14% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Barbados, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 3.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Malawi, approximately 24.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 2.2 times more on education

Malawi spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Barbados spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 33.3% more on healthcare

Malawi spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Malawi Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Barbados.

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 Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.

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