Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 85.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 21.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 3.0% of people as of 2020.

live 4.1 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 60 years (58 years for men, 62 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.

be 42.8% less likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 16.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 9.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 80.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 3.2% as of 2023.

Life

have 59.2% more children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 22.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, there are 36.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 28.1% more likely to die during childbirth

In Lesotho, approximately 566.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, 725.0 women do as of 2020.

be 34.7% less likely to be literate

In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 81.0% as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, it is 52.9% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 25.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Lesotho, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (81% in urban areas, and 38% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 37% of people on average (60% in urban areas, and 16% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 27.1% less likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 48.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, about 35.0% do as of 2021.

be 11.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Lesotho, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 77% 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 69.0% less on education

Lesotho spends 8.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 28.8% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 11.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2020.

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.
Read more

How big is Guinea-Bissau compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Guinea-Bissau.or Lesotho It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.