Photo: Berit Watkin , derivative work (crop) by Globe-trotter · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 14 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Barbados: Poverty & Inequality
How is a country’s income shared, and how many live below a line?
Barbados is placed 76th of 159 countries on poverty & inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Gini Index 34.07 (2023); Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day 0.87 (2023).
Share
Poverty & Inequality
76th
of 159 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Barbados on poverty & inequality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Gini Index
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Barbados’s is from 2016 · CC BY 4.0
34.07
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)
Lower is better
Barbados: 34.07. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 23 (India) to 59.07 (Namibia); the world median is 33.72.
- World median
- 33.72
- Best in Caribbean
- 34.07 Barbados
Key 2 of 3
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Barbados’s is from 2016 · CC BY 4.0
0.87
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)
Lower is better
Barbados: 0.87. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Czechia) to 48.69 (DR Congo); the world median is 0.345.
- World median
- 0.345
- Best in Caribbean
- 0.01 Saint Lucia
Key 3 of 3
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%)
Lower is better
FAO publishes no 2025 figure for Barbados, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Belarus) to 93.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 26.4.
- World median
- 26.4
- Best in Caribbean
- 7.1 Saint Lucia
02In context
Barbados beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 159 countries on poverty & inequality, never a place within the region.
Barbados and Caribbean
Barbados has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 159; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Gini IndexGini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) | Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayPoverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) | Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietShare of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saint Lucia | 60th | 43.69 | 0.01 | 7.1 |
 Dominican Republic | 74th | 38.4 | 0.37 | 16.2 |
| Barbados | 76th | 34.07 | 0.87 | — |
 Jamaica | 86th | 39.87 | 0.32 | 26.4 |
 Grenada | 88th | 43.82 | 0.18 | 22.9 |
 Anguilla | not placed | — | — | — |
 Antigua and Barbuda | not placed | — | — | — |
 Aruba | not placed | — | — | — |
 Bahamas | not placed | — | — | — |
 British Virgin Islands | not placed | — | — | — |
 Cayman Islands | not placed | — | — | — |
 Cuba | not placed | — | — | — |
 Curaçao | not placed | — | — | — |
 Dominica | not placed | — | — | — |
 Haiti | not placed | — | — | 88.9 |
 Montserrat | not placed | — | — | — |
 Puerto Rico | not placed | — | — | — |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis | not placed | — | — | — |
 Saint Martin | not placed | — | — | — |
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | not placed | — | — | — |
 Sint Maarten | not placed | — | — | — |
 Trinidad and Tobago | not placed | — | — | 32 |
 Turks and Caicos Islands | not placed | — | — | — |
 United States Virgin Islands | not placed | — | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Caribbean
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 159.
- Saint Lucia60th
- Dominican Republic74th
- Barbados76th
- Jamaica86th
- Grenada88th
- Anguillanot placed
- Antigua and Barbudanot placed
- Arubanot placed
- Bahamasnot placed
- British Virgin Islandsnot placed
- Cayman Islandsnot placed
- Cubanot placed
- Curaçaonot placed
- Dominicanot placed
- Haitinot placed
- Montserratnot placed
- Puerto Riconot placed
- Saint Kitts and Nevisnot placed
- Saint Martinnot placed
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesnot placed
- Sint Maartennot placed
- Trinidad and Tobagonot placed
- Turks and Caicos Islandsnot placed
- United States Virgin Islandsnot placed
Placed either side on poverty & inequality
The countries immediately above and below Barbados in the topic’s list.
03Context, no vote
Where Barbados is ahead of the world, and behind
10 more statistics filed under poverty & inequality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median6
Statistics on which Barbados does better than the middle country measured.
Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary CompletionUIS · 2024 · world median 0.5290.9670.529No earlier reading
Barbados: 0.967 · world median 0.529 · Adjusted wealth parity index, lower secondary completion (poorest vs richest fifth; 1 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.032 to 1.022; higher is better.
Exclusion by Socio-Economic GroupV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2023 · world median 0.4130.1090.413▲ Improved since 2013
Barbados: 0.109 · world median 0.413 · Exclusion by socio-economic group index (0–1; higher = more exclusion). V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.014 to 0.969; lower is better.
Position 146th of 174 · derived, 1st = worst.
Multidimensional Poverty MeasureWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 4.2520.6594.252No earlier reading
Barbados: 0.659 · world median 4.252 · Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 87.96; lower is better.
Position 129th of 157 · derived, 1st = worst.
Working Poverty RateILO · 2025 · world median 4.8850.3014.885▼ Worsened since 2015
Barbados: 0.301 · world median 4.885 · Employed people living in extreme poverty (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.007 to 86.02; lower is better.
Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 2.11.532.1▼ Worsened since 2014
Barbados: 1.53 · world median 2.1 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP, World Bank line-up estimate (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 89.54; lower is better.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.620.609▼ Worsened since 2013
Barbados: 0.62 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 83rd of 169 · derived.
Behind the world median2
Statistics on which Barbados does worse than the middle country measured.
Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric ConsumptionFAO · 2024 · world median 0.250.260.25▼ Worsened since 2014
Barbados: 0.26 · world median 0.25 · Coefficient of variation of habitual calorie consumption across the population (standard deviation ÷ mean). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.17 to 0.4; lower is better.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.0520.5917.05▼ Worsened since 2013
Barbados: 20.59 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 70th of 169 · derived, 1st = worst.
No better end2
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingWorld Bank Group · 2019 · world median 6.8816.516.88No earlier reading
Barbados: 16.51 · world median 6.88 · Population in households spending more than 10% of their budget on health out of pocket (%). World Bank Group, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0.133 to 31.21.
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 21.825.721.8No earlier reading
Barbados: 25.7 · world median 21.8 · Population below the national poverty line (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 82.3.
No current reading for Barbados
Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP) (last 2017), Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour Benefits, Cost of a Healthy Diet, Gini Index (last 2016), Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) (last 2017), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings (last 2016), Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (last 2024), Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (last 2016), Income Share Held by Richest 10% (last 2016), Intergenerational Persistence in Education, Low Pay Rate, Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person (last 2016), Palma Ratio (last 2016), Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day (last 2016), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day (last 2016), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day (last 2016), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day (last 2016), Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day (last 2016), Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity (last 2022), Prosperity Gap (last 2016), Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 Months, Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet and Societal Poverty Rate (last 2016). Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
04Country Index 2026
Poverty & Inequality among Barbados’s 16 topics
Poverty & Inequality is Barbados’s 10th best-placed topic of 16. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Peace & Securityjoint 7th of 1772/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience30th of 1933/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Libertiesjoint 38th of 1984/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions45th of 1944/4 keys
- Work & Labourjoint 54th of 1824/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture58th of 1844/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing78th of 2002/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital79th of 1963/3 keys
- Gender & Equality82nd of 1833/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality76th of 1592/3 keys
- Education & Knowledge107th of 1984/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation96th of 1762/4 keys
- Mobility & Tradejoint 128th of 1773/4 keys
- Energy130th of 1652/3 keys
- Digital & Technology157th of 1983/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability174th of 1863/4 keys
05The top of the list
Who leads on poverty & inequality
The three countries placed highest of 159, and the leaders Barbados can most readily be measured against.
1
BelarusEastern Europe
1st of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
SloveniaSouthern Europe
2nd of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
=3
UkraineEastern Europe
Joint 3rd of 159 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Americas
Canada28th3/3 keysHighest in Caribbean
Saint Lucia60th3/3 keysThis page
Barbados76th2/3 keys
Positions out of 159 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
06Questions
Barbados on poverty & inequality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Barbados rank on poverty & inequality?
Barbados is placed 76th of 159 countries on Poverty & Inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics (Gini Index and Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Gini Index figure for Barbados?
34.07 in 2023 (gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 33.72.
What is the latest Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day figure for Barbados?
0.87 in 2023 (poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.345.
Which poverty & inequality statistics are missing for Barbados?
No current reading is published for Barbados on Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP), Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour Benefits, Cost of a Healthy Diet, Gini Index, Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Income Share Held by Richest 10%, Intergenerational Persistence in Education, Low Pay Rate, Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person, Palma Ratio, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day, Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day, Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity, Prosperity Gap, Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 Months, Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet and Societal Poverty Rate. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
07Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
These figures come from household surveys, which most countries run every few years rather than every year. So the subject's standing is read from each country's most recent survey of the last decade, with the year of every reading shown, rather than from one year in which only a minority of countries were surveyed. Two readings decide it — how unequally income is shared and how deep extreme poverty runs — because the other poverty and inequality measures here largely repeat one of those two or repeat average income, which already counts under Economy and Development. Countries with no survey in the last decade have no standing here. What work pays is under Work & Labour; wealth, as opposed to income, has no global source this site is permitted to republish.
How the Poverty & Inequality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The poverty & inequality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Gini Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 10 statistics on this page come from 6 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Barbados’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Barbados (banner) — Berit Watkin , derivative work (crop) by Globe-trotter, CC BY 2.0
- Belarus — zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Ukraine — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Barbados: Poverty & Inequality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/barbados/poverty