Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Guinea-Bissau instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

live 1.6 years longer

In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 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 84.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Republic of the Congo, 20.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 3.2% as of 2023.

make 61.3% less money

Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $6,200 as of 2023, while in Guinea-Bissau, the GDP per capita is $2,400 as of 2023.

be 16.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Republic of the Congo, 40.9% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In Guinea-Bissau, however, that number is 47.7% as of 2018.

Life

have 27.0% more children

In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, there are 36.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 282.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, 725.0 women do as of 2020.

be 34.4% less likely to be literate

In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, it is 52.9% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 26.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (67% in urban areas, and 12% 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 13.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 56% 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 40.0% less on education

Republic of the Congo spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 86.7% more on healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.1 times more coastline

Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 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.
Read more

How big is Guinea-Bissau compared to Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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