Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Guinea-Bissau instead of Belgium, you would:

Health

be 57.0% less likely to be obese

In Belgium, 22.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 9.5% of people as of 2016.

live 18.2 years less

In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 64 years (61 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 42.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Belgium, 5.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 3.2% as of 2023.

make 96.2% less money

Belgium has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2023, while in Guinea-Bissau, the GDP per capita is $2,400 as of 2023.

be 3.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Guinea-Bissau, however, that number is 47.7% as of 2018.

Life

have 3.4 times more children

In Belgium, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, there are 36.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 145.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Belgium, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, 725.0 women do as of 2020.

be 15.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Belgium, approximately 3.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Guinea-Bissau, on the other hand, 49.0 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 62.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In Belgium, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Guinea-Bissau, 37% of the population do as of 2022.

be 61.5% less likely to have internet access

In Belgium, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, about 35.0% do as of 2021.

be 26.9% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Belgium, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 73% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 59% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 59.7% less on education

Belgium spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 24.3% less on healthcare

Belgium spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 5.3 times more coastline

Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 350 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Guinea-Bissau: At a glance

Guinea-Bissau is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,120 sq km. Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was overthrown in a bloodless military coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation; he was assassinated in March 2009. Malam Bacai SANHA was elected in an emergency election held in June 2009, but he passed away in January 2012 from an existing illness. A military coup in April 2012 prevented Guinea-Bissau's second-round presidential election - to determine SANHA's successor - from taking place.
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How big is Guinea-Bissau compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.

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