Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 90.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Zimbabwe, 11.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2019.

live 15.2 years longer

In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (61 years for men, 66 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 49.0% more likely to be obese

In Zimbabwe, 15.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Barbados, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 5.0 times more money

Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,500 as of 2023, while in Barbados, the GDP per capita is $17,400 as of 2023.

pay a 33.0% lower top tax rate

Zimbabwe has a top tax rate of 50.0% as of 2016. In Barbados, the top tax rate is 33.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 89.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Zimbabwe, approximately 357.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Barbados, 39.0 women do as of 2020.

be 11.0% more likely to be literate

In Zimbabwe, the literacy rate is 89.7% as of 2021. In Barbados, it is 99.6% as of 2014.

be 66.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Zimbabwe, approximately 28.5 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 62.8% fewer children

In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 28.8 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 99.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Zimbabwe, approximately 50% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Barbados, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Zimbabwe, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Barbados, about 86.0% do as of 2021.

be 28.5% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Zimbabwe, approximately 77% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Barbados, 99% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 80.6% more on education

Zimbabwe spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Barbados spends 6.5% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 2.1 times more on healthcare

Zimbabwe spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Barbados, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Barbados, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.

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 Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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