Barbados vs Jamaica: Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita
Barbados
29.7%
in 2024
Jamaica
30.0%
in 2024
Barbados rank
79th
Jamaica rank
78th
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita over time
- Barbados
- Jamaica
How they compare
Jamaica currently reports 30.0% against 29.7% in Barbados, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1994 it was Jamaica ahead.
Barbados ranks 79th and Jamaica ranks 78th of 151 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Barbados averaged higher in 2 and Jamaica in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Barbados | Jamaica | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.0% | 25.5% | 6.4% | Jamaica |
| 2000s | 27.0% | 30.6% | 3.6% | Jamaica |
| 2010s | 28.9% | 27.9% | 1.0% | Barbados |
| 2020s | 30.1% | 28.5% | 1.6% | Barbados |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita, Barbados or Jamaica?
- Jamaica, at 30.0% against 29.7% in Barbados as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita between Barbados and Jamaica?
- 0.3%, with Jamaica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Barbados and Jamaica?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2024.
- How do Barbados and Jamaica rank globally for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Barbados ranks 79th and Jamaica ranks 78th of 151 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.