Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 0.9 years longer

In Panama, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 10.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Panama, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

Economy

make 51.4% less money

Panama has a GDP per capita of $35,800 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

be 18.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Panama, 6.7% 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

Panama 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 22.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Panama, approximately 50.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 41.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Panama, approximately 16.4 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 38.5% fewer children

In Panama, there are approximately 17.4 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 26.5% more likely to have internet access

In Panama, approximately 68.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 25.8% less on healthcare

Panama spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 66.7% more on education

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

Geography

see 96.1% less coastline

Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Barbados, that number is 97 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, General Directorate of Revenues, Panama, 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 Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.

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