Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.0 years longer

In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 79 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 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Bulgaria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2019. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

Economy

make 47.7% less money

Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $33,300 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

be 84.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Bulgaria, 4.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 8.0% as of 2023.

pay a 3.4 times higher top tax rate

Bulgaria has a top tax rate of 10.0% as of 2016. In Barbados, the top tax rate is 33.5% as of 2016.

Life

have 35.4% more children

In Bulgaria, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Bulgaria, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 20.3% more likely to die during infancy

In Bulgaria, approximately 8.0 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.

Basic Needs

be 14.7% more likely to have internet access

In Bulgaria, approximately 75.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 15.3% less on healthcare

Bulgaria spends 8.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 62.5% more on education

Bulgaria spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Barbados spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 72.6% less coastline

Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria, 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 Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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