Barbados vs Guam
Guam is 24% larger than Barbados.
BarbadosGuamBarbados moved onto Guam · Equal-area projection
0.81×
Barbados is 0.81× the area of Guam. Put the other way, Guam is 1.24× the size of Barbados.
 Barbados |  Guam | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGuam: 1.24× the area | 439 km²#183 of 194 | 544 km² |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBarbados: 1.67× the population | 282,623#174 of 194 · 2025 | 168,9992025 |
| DensityBarbados: 2.07× the density | 644 / km²#8 of 194 | 311 / km² |
| Urban populationGuam: 1.58× the urban share | 60%#106 of 192 · 2025 | 94%2025 |
| Fertility rateGuam: 1.61× the births per woman | 1.71 per woman#117 of 192 · 2024 | 2.75 per woman2024 |
| Population growthGuam: 0.67 points higher | +0.06%#154 of 192 · 2025 | +0.73%2025 |
| Birth rateGuam: 1.56× the birth rate | 11.1 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 17.3 per 1,0002024 |
| Death rateBarbados: 1.48× the death rate | 10.2 per 1,000#32 of 192 · 2024 | 6.9 per 1,0002024 |
| Children under 15Guam: 8.8 points higher | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 | 25.9%2025 |
| People over 65Barbados: 4.0 points higher | 17.1%#45 of 192 · 2025 | 13.1%2025 |
| Net migrationBarbados: 2.6 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −2.9 per 1,0002025 |
| Refugees abroad | 2.04 per 1,000#41 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyGuam: 1.1 years longer | 76.3 years#75 of 192 · 2024 | 77.4 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 capita | $27,080#42 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDPBarbados: 1.16× the economy | $8.02B2025 | $6.91B2022 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $25,894#77 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growthGuam: 2.4 points higher | +2.7%#111 of 187 · 2025 | +5.1%2022 |
| Inflation | +0.8%#147 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentBarbados: 1.16× the unemployment | 6.5%#65 of 178 · 2025 | 5.6%2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 1.7%#76 of 149 · 2016 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 34.1#78 of 149 · 2016 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureGuam: 0.4 points higher | 1.2% of jobs#166 of 178 · 2025 | 1.6% of jobs2025 |
| Jobs in industryGuam: 3.1 points higher | 16.2% of jobs#127 of 178 · 2025 | 19.3% of jobs2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBarbados: 3.4 points higher | 82.6% of jobs#8 of 178 · 2025 | 79.2% of jobs2025 |
| Foreign investment | 3.4% of GDP#58 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | — | 7.9% of GDP2022 |
| Internet users | 70%#118 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 115 per 100#96 of 191 · 2022 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGuam: 3.58× the forest share | 15% of land#133 of 192 · 2024 | 52% of land2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 2.52 t a year#93 of 185 · 2024 | 0.00 t a year2024 |
| Renewable energyGuam: 1.2 points higher | 5.5%#157 of 190 · 2022 | 6.7%2022 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Barbados: 3.11× the air pollution | 10.9 µg/m³#147 of 191 · 2023 | 3.5 µg/m³2023 |
| Protected landGuam: 3.1 points higher | 1.1% of land#183 of 191 · 2025 | 4.2% of land2025 |
| Arable landBarbados: 14.4 points higher | 16.2% of land#66 of 190 · 2024 | 1.8% of land2024 |
| Water stress | 87.5%#20 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 1,422 mm#63 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBarbados: 0.09 higher | +1.28#14 of 193 · 2025 | +1.192025 |
| Control of corruptionBarbados: 0.05 higher | +1.23#24 of 193 · 2025 | +1.182025 |
| Homicide rateBarbados: 1.72× the homicide rate | 7.4 per 100,000#36 of 146 · 2023 | 4.3 per 100,0002019 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Territory of United States of America |
| Government | Parliamentary republicparliamentary republic; a Commonwealth realm | Dependent territoryunincorporated organized territory of the US with local self-government; republican form of territorial government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches |
| Capital | Bridgetown | Agana |
| Currency | Barbadian dollar (BBD) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English, Bajan Creole | English, Chamorro |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC+10 |
| Calling code | +1 246 | +1 671 |
| Region | Caribbean, North America | Micronesia, Oceania |
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; Guam at 13° N is stretched to 1.06×. 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 Guam?
- No. Barbados is 19% smaller than Guam. Barbados covers 439 km² and Guam covers 544 km².
- How many times does Barbados fit into Guam?
- About 1.2 times: Guam has 1.24× the area of Barbados.
- Why do Barbados and Guam 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 Guam about 1.06×. 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 Guam?
- Barbados: 282,623 people against 168,999. Density: Barbados 644 per km², Guam 311 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Barbados or Guam?
- In Guam: life expectancy at birth is 77.4 years, against 76.3 — 1.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Barbados and Guam have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Barbados: parliamentary republic; Guam: dependent territory.