Barbados vs Curaçao
Curaçao and Barbados are almost exactly the same size.
BarbadosCuraçaoBarbados moved onto Curaçao · Equal-area projection
0.99×
Barbados is 0.99× the area of Curaçao. Put the other way, Curaçao is 1.01× the size of Barbados.
 Barbados |  Curaçao | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 439 km²#183 of 194 | 444 km² |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBarbados: 1.81× the population | 282,623#174 of 194 · 2025 | 156,2632025 |
| DensityBarbados: 1.83× the density | 644 / km²#8 of 194 | 352 / km² |
| Urban populationCuraçao: 1.53× the urban share | 60%#106 of 192 · 2025 | 92%2025 |
| Fertility rateBarbados: 1.22× the births per woman | 1.71 per woman#117 of 192 · 2024 | 1.40 per woman2024 |
| Population growthCuraçao: 0.13 points higher | +0.06%#154 of 192 · 2025 | +0.19%2025 |
| Birth rateBarbados: 1.54× the birth rate | 11.1 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 7.2 per 1,0002024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 10.2 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2024 | 10.1 per 1,0002024 |
| Children under 15Barbados: 2.5 points higher | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 | 14.6%2025 |
| People over 65Curaçao: 0.2 points higher | 17.1%#45 of 192 · 2025 | 17.3%2025 |
| Net migrationCuraçao: 3.3 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | +3.0 per 1,0002025 |
| Refugees abroadBarbados: 40.8× the refugees for its size | 2.04 per 1,000#41 of 190 · 2025 | 0.05 per 1,0002025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCuraçao: 0.7 years longer | 76.3 years#75 of 192 · 2024 | 77.0 years2024 |
| Infant mortality | 9.1 per 1,000 births#115 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 2.96 per 1,000#61 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| University enrolment | 50.8%#75 of 145 · 2025 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.811#68 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBarbados: 1.2× the income per person | $27,080#42 of 185 · 2025 | $22,5702024 |
| GDPBarbados: 2.25× the economy | $8.02B2025 | $3.56B2024 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Curaçao: 1.26× the output per person | $25,894#77 of 184 · 2025 | $32,7412024 |
| GDP growthCuraçao: 2.3 points higher | +2.7%#111 of 187 · 2025 | +5.0%2024 |
| Inflation | +0.8%#147 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 6.5%#65 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 1.7%#76 of 149 · 2016 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 34.1#78 of 149 · 2016 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 1.2% of jobs#166 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 16.2% of jobs#127 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 82.6% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investmentCuraçao: 0.9 points higher | 3.4% of GDP#58 of 184 · 2025 | 4.3% of GDP2024 |
| Internet users | 70%#118 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsBarbados: 1.22× the mobile subscriptions | 115 per 100#96 of 191 · 2022 | 94 per 1002023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBarbados: 73× the forest share | 15% of land#133 of 192 · 2024 | 0% of land2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 2.52 t a year#93 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energyBarbados: 2.7 points higher | 5.5%#157 of 190 · 2022 | 2.8%2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 10.9 µg/m³#147 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected landCuraçao: 15.4 points higher | 1.1% of land#183 of 191 · 2025 | 16.5% of land2025 |
| Arable land | 16.2% of land#66 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 87.5%#20 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 1,422 mm#63 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | +1.28#14 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | +1.23#24 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Homicide rate | 7.4 per 100,000#36 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Territory of Netherlands |
| Government | Parliamentary republicparliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm | Dependent territoryparliamentary democracy |
| Capital | Bridgetown | Willemstad |
| Currency | Barbadian dollar (BBD) | Caribbean guilder (XCG) |
| Official languages | English, Bajan Creole | English, Dutch, Papiamento |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC−4 |
| Calling code | +1 246 | +5999 |
| Region | Caribbean, North America | Caribbean, North America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Barbados sits at about 13° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; Curaçao at 12° N is stretched to 1.05×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Barbados bigger than Curaçao?
- No. Barbados and Curaçao are almost exactly the same size. Barbados covers 439 km² and Curaçao covers 444 km².
- How many times does Barbados fit into Curaçao?
- About 1.0 times: Curaçao has 1.01× the area of Barbados.
- Why do Barbados and Curaçao look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Barbados is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and Curaçao about 1.05×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Barbados or Curaçao?
- Barbados: 282,623 people against 156,263. Density: Barbados 644 per km², Curaçao 352 per km².
- Which is richer, Barbados or Curaçao?
- By gross national income per person, Barbados: $27,080 against $22,570 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.2× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Barbados or Curaçao?
- In Curaçao: life expectancy at birth is 77.0 years, against 76.3 — 0.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Barbados and Curaçao have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Barbados: parliamentary republic; Curaçao: dependent territory.