Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Spain instead of Western Sahara, you would:

Health

live 18.0 years longer

In Western Sahara, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2020. In Spain, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 18.6 times more money

Western Sahara has a GDP per capita of $2,500 as of 2007, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $46,400 as of 2023.

Life

be 94.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Western Sahara, approximately 47.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 74.6% fewer children

In Western Sahara, there are approximately 28.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Spain, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Geography

see 4.5 times more coastline

Western Sahara has a total of 1,110 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

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

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Western Sahara? See an in-depth size comparison.

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