Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.9 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 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 100.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 3.0% of people as of 2020.

Economy

make 18.8% more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2022, while in Guinea-Bissau, the GDP per capita is $1,900 as of 2022.

be 16.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Guinea-Bissau, however, that number is 47.7% as of 2018.

Life

be 33.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 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.

have 18.3% more children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, there are 36.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 63.7% more likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, 725.0 women do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 30.3% more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 27% of people have electricity access (57% in urban areas, and 5% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 36% of people on average (60% in urban areas, and 16% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Guinea-Bissau, about 35.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 70.3% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 12.9% less coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 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 Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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