Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Barbados instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 94.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

live 13.2 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 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 18.4% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Barbados, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 21.7% more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

be 71.6% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Barbados, that number is 8.0% as of 2023.

pay a 25.6% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Barbados, the top tax rate is 33.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 69.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 62.9% less likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 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 39.5% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 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 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 86% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Barbados, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 19.4% more likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 16.3% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 96.5% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 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, South African Revenue Service.

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 South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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