If you lived in Italy instead of Cameroon, you would:

Health

be 88.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Cameroon, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 20.0 years longer

In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 12.8% less likely to be obese

In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 20.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.

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have 30.8 times more doctors per person

Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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have 90.9% more access to essential health services

Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Italy scores 84 as of 2021.

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be 17.8% less likely to die by suicide

Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 46.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Cameroon, 37.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

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make 22.0 times more money

Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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be 77.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 36.9% more likely to be literate

In Cameroon, the literacy rate is 72.5% as of 2018. In Italy, it is 99.3% as of 2019.

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be 94.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 81.1% fewer children

In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 38.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 92.9% more likely to have internet access

In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Italy, about 89.2% do as of 2024.

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be 39.9% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 43.3% more on education

Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 85.5% more on healthcare

Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 18.9 times more coastline

Cameroon has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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Safety

be 91.6% less likely to be murdered

Cameroon has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 52.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 14.9 times more home broadband

Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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use 22.7 times more electricity

Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.

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live with 19.1 times more strain on fresh water

Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 85.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 14.5 times more CO2

Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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