Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Barbados instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:

Health

live 9.1 years longer

In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 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 22.2% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Papua New Guinea, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

Economy

make 4.1 times more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $4,200 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

pay a 20.2% lower top tax rate

Papua New Guinea has a top tax rate of 42.0% as of 2016. In Barbados, the top tax rate is 33.5% as of 2016.

be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 8.0% as of 2023.

Life

be 79.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 192.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 55.1% more likely to be literate

In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 64.2% as of 2015. In Barbados, it is 99.6% as of 2014.

be 71.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 33.6 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 61.9% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 28.1 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 5.3 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 19% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Barbados, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 32.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

be 2.1 times more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 48% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 4.6 times more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Barbados spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 2.9 times more on healthcare

Papua New Guinea spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 98.1% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 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, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.

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 Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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