Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 21.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Jamaica, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

live 2.8 years longer

In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In Barbados, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 68.9% more money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $10,300 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

be 79.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Jamaica, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 8.0% as of 2023.

pay a 34.0% higher top tax rate

Jamaica has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Barbados, the top tax rate is 33.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 60.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Jamaica, approximately 99.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 12.3% more likely to be literate

In Jamaica, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2015. In Barbados, it is 99.6% as of 2014.

be 14.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Jamaica, approximately 11.2 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 31.4% fewer children

In Jamaica, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Barbados, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Geography

see 90.5% less coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 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, Tax Admministration of Jamaica.

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 Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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