If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of Cabo Verde, you would:

Health

be 52.8% less likely to die by suicide

Cabo Verde has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 12.3 years less

In Cabo Verde, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 14.8% more likely to be obese

In Cabo Verde, 16.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.

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have 79.0% fewer doctors per person

Cabo Verde has 7.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 as of 2022.

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have 35.2% less access to essential health services

Cabo Verde scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Equatorial Guinea scores 46 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 30.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Cabo Verde, 11.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

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make 14.1% more money

Cabo Verde has a GDP per capita of $5,796 as of 2025, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $6,615 as of 2025.

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be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Cabo Verde, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2022.

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Life

have 2.5 times more children

In Cabo Verde, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 4.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Cabo Verde, approximately 40.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, 174.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 4.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Cabo Verde, approximately 10.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 32.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Cabo Verde, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 15.3% less likely to have internet access

In Cabo Verde, approximately 74.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, about 63.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 40.2% less on healthcare

Cabo Verde spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 69.3% less coastline

Cabo Verde has a total of 965 km of coastline. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 296 km.

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Safety

be 29.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Cabo Verde, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 99.7% less strain on fresh water

Cabo Verde withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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find 98.8% less home broadband

Cabo Verde has 8.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 97.7% more CO2

Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Equatorial Guinea: At a glance

Equatorial Guinea is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,051 sq km. Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2013 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.
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