If you lived in Spain instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 87.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 26.2 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 36.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.

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have 58.0 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.

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have 2.7 times more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Spain scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 40.1% more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 70.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

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make 69.5 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.

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be 66.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 99.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.7 times more likely to be literate

In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Spain, it is 99.7% as of 2021.

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be 95.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 85.9% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Spain, 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 6.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Spain, about 95.8% do as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Spain, 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 13.5% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 2.5 times more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Safety

be 86.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 1961.5 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.

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live with 127.2 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 89.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

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emit 75.2 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this

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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