Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 5.6 years longer

In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 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 5.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guatemala, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

Economy

make 37.0% more money

Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $12,700 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In Guatemala, 2.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 8.0% as of 2023.

pay a 4.8 times higher top tax rate

Guatemala has a top tax rate of 7.0% as of 2016. In Barbados, the top tax rate is 33.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 59.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guatemala, approximately 96.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 19.6% more likely to be literate

In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 83.3% as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 99.6% as of 2014.

be 63.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Guatemala, approximately 26.2 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 50.0% fewer children

In Guatemala, there are approximately 21.4 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 68.6% more likely to have internet access

In Guatemala, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 2.1 times more on education

Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Barbados spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 10.8% more on healthcare

Guatemala spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 75.8% less coastline

Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Barbados, Superintendence of the Tax Administration.

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 Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.

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