Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.4 years longer

In Malaysia, 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.

be 2.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Malaysia, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

be 48.1% more likely to be obese

In Malaysia, 15.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Barbados, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 48.2% less money

Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $33,600 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Malaysia, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 8.0% as of 2023.

pay a 19.6% higher top tax rate

Malaysia has a top tax rate of 28.0% as of 2016. In Barbados, the top tax rate is 33.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 85.7% more likely to die during childbirth

In Malaysia, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 45.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Malaysia, approximately 6.6 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 24.6% fewer children

In Malaysia, there are approximately 14.2 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 11.3% less likely to have internet access

In Malaysia, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 66.7% more on education

Malaysia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Barbados spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 75.6% more on healthcare

Malaysia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 97.9% less coastline

Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, 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 Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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