r/AskTheCaribbean 16d ago

Culture Barbados Becomes the 1st Independent Nation in the Caribbean to Surpass the USA's Life Expectancy

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2.0k Upvotes

In 2023, Barbados achieved a notable milestone by surpassing the United States in life expectancy. According to data from Macrotrends, Barbados' life expectancy in 2023 was approximately 79.64 years. In contrast, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the U.S. life expectancy for the same year was 78.4 years.

In 2023, people living in Barbados, a Caribbean island nation, could expect to live about 79.6 years on average. Meanwhile, in the United States, the average life expectancy was about 78.4 years. This means that, on average, people in Barbados were living longer than those in the U.S.

In 2022, Barbados had a life expectancy of approximately 77.71 years, with males averaging 75.68 years and females 79.58 years. This figure was slightly below the United States' life expectancy of 79.11 years.

Projections indicate that by 2025, Barbados' life expectancy will reach approximately 79.92 years, surpassing that of the United States.

Factors contributing to Barbados' increasing life expectancy include advancements in healthcare, improved living standards, and increased healthcare availability.

Sources: https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/barbados/Life_expectancy/

https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/BRB/barbados/life-expectancy

https://database.earth/population/barbados/life-expectancy

r/AskTheCaribbean 2d ago

Culture American raised artist that are Caribbean/half Caribbean

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134 Upvotes

r/AskTheCaribbean 13d ago

Culture Why is the North American Caribbean diaspora so adamant about using this term?

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199 Upvotes

Genuine question.

It's beyond even just using it, they PRESCRIBE that people living in the Caribbean call themselves this. It's like Global North-splaining.

r/AskTheCaribbean Nov 25 '24

Culture It’s literally no competition

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333 Upvotes

r/AskTheCaribbean Jan 15 '25

Culture Now I’m curious, does any other nationality do this also?

358 Upvotes

r/AskTheCaribbean Feb 20 '25

Culture Haitian plantain porridge, Do any other island make plantain porridge?

274 Upvotes

r/AskTheCaribbean Dec 30 '24

Culture Anglo and Hispanic Caribbean countries have an insane cultural footprint relative to their populations and GDP.

142 Upvotes

Bermuda (population around 70,000 iirc) - Colonial architecture, Bermuda shorts

Trinidad - Calypso, Soca, steel drums

Jamaica - The other half of calypso, ska, reggae, sprinters, Cool Runnings, a couple James Bond movies, Rastafarianism, jerk, beef patties

Puerto Rico - Salsa music, reggaeton, piña coladas

Cuba - Che/Castro, cigars, mojitos, rum, old cars and architecture, Cuban sandwiches Ed: rumba, habanera, etc.

Any others I’m missing?

r/AskTheCaribbean Feb 18 '25

Culture Caribbean cultural dress

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489 Upvotes

It goes Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Bahamas and then Belize.

r/AskTheCaribbean 7d ago

Culture Why do Caribbean people dislike dogs so much?

45 Upvotes

I'm not the only one who's noticed this right?

r/AskTheCaribbean 16d ago

Culture Naomi Osaka Celebrates Big Tennis Victory by Wearing the Haitian Flag

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627 Upvotes

Naomi Osaka, After a big win, she proudly donned the Haitian flag, showcasing her paternal heritage to the world.

Her connection to Haiti goes beyond symbolism—she has visited the country, received a hero’s welcome, and even pledged tournament winnings to Haitian earthquake relief. Through her success, Osaka continues to shine a light on her rich cultural background.

https://x.com/TheTennisLetter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1902894473031586298%7Ctwgr%5E166f69a483c7f7ab8d173162ff5c8ffc636e8417%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-18295731043385230419.ampproject.net%2F2502032353000%2Fframe.html

r/AskTheCaribbean 28d ago

Culture What do Haitians think of the Taino? Do Haitians care that they have little to no Taino ancestry?

16 Upvotes

Post was inspired by a comment I replied to that said Haitians are somehow bothered by the fact that they don't have Taino ancestry. Which smelled like bs to me, but I digress.

It piqued my interest because I learned Haiti/Ayiti is one of the Caribbean nations that named themselves after what the Taino called the island (alongside Cuba/Cubao, Xaymaca/Jamaica, and Bahama/Bahamas), so clearly there was mutual respect there, even though the Haitian revolutionaries and the Taino probably had very little to no contact with each other since the Taino seemed to have been mostly extinct by that point. I'm just wondering how Haitians view themselves and their homeland in relation to the Taino, if there are any Haitian stories about the Taino, if Haitians care about claiming Taino's, etc.

r/AskTheCaribbean 22d ago

Culture Why do so many deny the diverse culture of TT, Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti, Barbados etc

89 Upvotes

I remember having an argument a few weeks back because this, for lack of better words, bloody idiot, was claiming to know more about Caribbean culture & history (specifically of Trinidad and Tobago) versus me despite not even being Caribbean themselves at all. The argument started because I mentioned how multiple different cultures integrating into the Caribbean has resulted in us now sharing many aspects of those cultures. Like how many Indians came to countries like TT, Jamaica, Guyana etc so a lot of us are mixed and even if not we still eat stuff like curry roti etc and observe holi, and similar can be said with the Chinese immigrants who brought there culture and so on and so on. They were telling me, despite giving multiple sources from sites like Trinidad Guardian and NALIS since they asked, that I was lying and trying to claim culture that didn't belong to me which sounded super ignorant. They straight up said "Trinidad is in South America, not sure where you got China and India from" and "You don't have to pretend to be Asian just because you like kpop music". Now in the real world you must know I would handle disrespect with A LICK but this is the internet so that's not virtually possible :( I also see many who are Caribbean denying this history as well which upsets me. Obviously we are Caribbean at heart but when it's necessary we have to admit we didn't just start making curry and using words like bacchanal from nowhere

r/AskTheCaribbean Dec 05 '24

Culture Are Anglo Caribbeans aware that there's a whole other Caribbean culture in Spanish?

56 Upvotes

I was surprised by a recent question about whether Panamá, Colombia and Venezuela were considered Caribbean countries. This would be an obvious yes in spanish, but apparently it's more controversial, especially in the English speaking Caribbean, where some considered being part of the West Indies, speaking English or even racial make up as a bigger signifier of being Caribbean.

r/AskTheCaribbean Feb 24 '25

Culture This is a serious issue and we need to gate-keep

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111 Upvotes

I know this topic has came up a lot in the past few days, but I feel like we as Caribbean people should be better at setting boundaries. I love sharing my culture and having it appreciated, but I won’t stand for it getting appropriated or slandered.

What would be the most effective way to set boundaries and put them in place?

r/AskTheCaribbean 18d ago

Culture How does Haiti relate to the rest of the Caribbean, culturally?

7 Upvotes

As a Bosniak-Canadian, I have a very simplistic understanding of the Caribbean. I see it as having two major cultural currents - the Spanish-speaking one (DR, Cuba, etc.), and the English-speaking one (Jamaica, the Bahamas, etc.)

And then you have Haiti. As far as I conceive of it, it doesn't even fit in with the French Caribbean - it's really its own thing. But like I said, I know enough to know I don't know jack nor shit about the Caribbean. How would you say Haitian culture and Haitians are perceived throughout the Caribbean?

r/AskTheCaribbean Dec 29 '24

Culture Caribbean women

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561 Upvotes

Keeping the class in classy.

r/AskTheCaribbean 21d ago

Culture How do you feel about second generation Caribbean kids identifying as Caribbean?

26 Upvotes

I have heard some first generation Caribbean immigrants become upset by the idea of the younger generation, born in the west (England, USA, and Canada), identifying as Caribbean.

Why is that?

What is an appropriate term that captures the Caribbean heritage while acknowledging the difference?

r/AskTheCaribbean 6d ago

Culture The Caribbean Has Always Stood for Elegance and Class and Our Clothing Reflects that✨️

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305 Upvotes

Caribbean cultural attire truly highlights the elegance and richness of our heritage.

Our traditional clothing reflects our deep-rooted values and identity.

No matter how much some may try to westernize Caribbean people and youth, this cultural pride will never change.

The epitome if class.

r/AskTheCaribbean 4d ago

Culture Why are the stereotypes of the Caribbean so inaccurate, and are they worse than those of other similarly populated regions?

0 Upvotes

The biggest one I can think of is the "Caribbean people are all dark-skinned Black, English or Patwa speakers from former British colonies" that is predominant in the USA.

-The majority of Caribbean islanders live in the Spanish-speaking nations of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, and most people in those countries have substantial or even majority non-African ancestry. That's not getting into the mainland Caribbean coast, which is probably also majority-Hispanic even though areas like the Bay Islands, Panama, and the Miskito Coast of Nicaragua are very multilingual. If you count mainland Hispano-Caribbean and island Hispano-Caribbean peoples separately, they're probably two of the top three ethnic-linguistic groups in the Caribbean.

-The next-largest linguistic group would be the French and Kreyol speakers, who are mostly of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, but they don't speak English or English-based creoles unless they've already emigrated to, say, the Bahamas.

-Of the remainder, most are English-speaking, but many of the Anglo-Caribbean nations will have very diverse ancestries (Trinidad, Guyana, Belize, and to a lesser extent Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the Caymans all are much more diverse than the stereotypes), have a francophone history even if the ancient French-based creole languages are rapidly fading (St. Kitts, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, and Trinidad), are still British colonies with high levels of immigration from many different places (Caymans, Turks and Caicos, BVI, Anguilla), or have little or no British roots at all (the USVI and the Dutch islands).

So you have the "stereotypical Caribbean island" (ex-British colony, speaks English/English-based Creole, 90%+ Black) demographics are basically only found on Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and maybe Montserrat.

And this is just one of the many inaccurate stereotypes that I've encountered. "They're all involved in offshore banking" (no, that's mainly the British overseas territories, Panama, and a couple of the smaller Anglo islands), "they're cheaper, discount versions of Hawaii/Bali/Thailand with no real history" (many of the oldest colonial cities in the Americas, including the oldest buildings under US jurisdiction, are in the Caribbean, to say nothing of Mayan pyramids and the rich history of piracy and slave revolts), "they're mostly Rastafarian" (not even close! the Caribbean is mostly Catholic or Protestant mixed with varying levels of African and Indigenous spirituality and secular humanism, and Asian and Islamic religions are probably more numerous than practicing Rastas overall), "they mostly emigrate abroad" (countries like Belize, Sint Maarten, and Antigua have foreign-born populations comparable to or greater than those of the G7 countries), "they're mostly flat and lush" (are you confusing them with the Maldives? lol), "they're super isolated and full of tribes" (are you confusing them with Polynesia? lol), etc. are some of the popular English-speaking stereotypes of the Caribbean.

r/AskTheCaribbean 19d ago

Culture What's your favorite traditional music from your country? Mine is Palo music. 🇩🇴

126 Upvotes

r/AskTheCaribbean Dec 31 '24

Culture Famous Caribbean Women

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273 Upvotes
  1. Jamaica – Naomi Campbell

Modeling: One of the original supermodels and arguably the most famous, dominating global runways, campaigns, and magazine covers for decades.

Acting: Featured in Empire and American Horror Story: Hotel.

Cultural Icon: Known for breaking racial barriers in fashion and becoming a global advocate for diversity.

  1. (Jamaican Heritage) – Kerry Washington

Acting: Famous for her groundbreaking role as Olivia Pope in Scandal (2012–2018), a career-defining performance.

Film: Starred in Django Unchained (2012) and The Last King of Scotland (2006).

Accolades: One of the first Black women to lead a network drama in decades, earning critical acclaim.

  1. Haiti – Garcelle Beauvais

TV Roles: Known for her roles as Francesca "Fancy" Monroe on The Jamie Foxx Show and Valerie Heywood on NYPD Blue.

Reality TV: Gained renewed fame on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Cultural Presence: Celebrated as one of Hollywood’s prominent Haitian actresses.

  1. Barbados – Rihanna

Music: An international pop star with iconic hits like Umbrella, Diamonds, and Work.

Acting: Played Nine Ball in Ocean's 8 (2018) and Bubble in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017).

Business: Revolutionized the beauty and fashion industries with Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, becoming a billionaire and cultural icon.

r/AskTheCaribbean 17d ago

Culture Caribbean people of Chinese descent

39 Upvotes

Have chinese caribbean people had an impact on your culture? Also, how common is it to see someone of chinese descent in your country?

r/AskTheCaribbean Dec 19 '24

Culture Would you guys say Haitian and Jamaican people are similar or very different?

33 Upvotes

I feel like In Haitian culture your taught to care more about what people think of you and to not be too direct or it will come off as disrespectful while in Jamaican culture it’s the opposite and your taught to be more confident and not care what people think?

r/AskTheCaribbean 1d ago

Culture Do you use the N-word? Especially diaspora Caribbeans in the US.

0 Upvotes

Do you use it? What's your relationship to it. Does it bother you? How do you feel when it's directed at you?

Caveats: it's one thing if it's in a Rap song, or maybe used jokingly that I don't count.

But is it a part of your everyday lexicon? For me, it's a word that makes me cringe Everytime. And it's worse because anytime I'm with my black friends and I hear this term used like it's nothing, it makes me visibly uncomfortable. Especially when directed at me lol. I even here the girls using it and it's a ln instant turn off. I know that New York Caribbeans say it a lot, even the Dominicans, PR, indo Guyanese or Indo Trinidadians. And of course that opens the door for the Mexicans and even the low social class whites haha. Florida Caribbeans don't use it much. I find Texas Caribbeans may use it depending on their proximity to the Caribbean side or embracing full "Americaness"

But yeah just curious.

In my Caribbean experience, I usually found that although we have it, it's seldom used unless you're really disgusted or angry with someone. But not used on a casual basis like it's Skittles or something lol

r/AskTheCaribbean Jan 25 '25

Culture Belize FINALLY takes Queen Elizabeth II off our currency!!! 🇧🇿 🙌🏾

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331 Upvotes

The biggest complaints from the Belizean people is that the currency looks like "Mexican Pesos". I don't agree, or understand that logic. 🤔

MY complaint is that they only used Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, and Philip Goldson.

Belizean government should have saved Philip Goldson and George Cadle Price for the $50 and $100 bill respectively. Antonio Soberanis Gómez, Isiah Morter, Monrad Metzgen, Andy Palacio, etc for smaller notes.