Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Barbados instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

live 1.4 years longer

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 58.7% less likely to be obese

In Cook Islands, 55.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Barbados, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 11.5% more money

Cook Islands has a GDP per capita of $15,600 as of 2022, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

be 39.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Cook Islands, 13.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2005. In Barbados, that number is 8.0% as of 2023.

Life

be 39.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 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 11.6% fewer children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 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 32.7% more likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 41.3% more on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Barbados spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 2.2 times more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 19.2% less coastline

Cook Islands has a total of 120 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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