Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 38.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Gambia, 1.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

live 11.0 years longer

In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 69 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 2.2 times more likely to be obese

In Gambia, 10.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Barbados, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 6.0 times more money

Gambia has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

be 22.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Gambia, 6.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 8.0% as of 2023.

Life

be 91.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Gambia, approximately 458.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 71.4% more likely to be literate

In Gambia, the literacy rate is 58.1% as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 99.6% as of 2014.

be 74.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Gambia, approximately 37.2 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 60.8% fewer children

In Gambia, there are approximately 27.3 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 52.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Gambia, approximately 65% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Barbados, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Gambia, approximately 33.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

be 10.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Gambia, approximately 90% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.3 times more on education

Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Barbados spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 2.8 times more on healthcare

Gambia spends 2.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 21.2% more coastline

Gambia has a total of 80 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.
Read more

How big is Barbados compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Barbados.or Gambia It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.