Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Senegal instead of China, you would:

Health

live 12.9 years less

In China, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2020. In Senegal, that number is 63 years (61 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2020.

be 41.9% more likely to be obese

In China, 6.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Senegal, that number is 8.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 11.1% lower top tax rate

China has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In Senegal, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

make 80.8% less money

China has a GDP per capita of $18,200 as of 2018, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $3,500 as of 2017.

be 12.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In China, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Senegal, that number is 48.0% as of 2007.

be 14.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In China, 3.3% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Senegal, however, that number is 46.7% as of 2011.

Life

have 2.7 times more children

In China, there are approximately 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Senegal, there are 31.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

be 10.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In China, approximately 29.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Senegal, 315.0 women do as of 2017.

be 46.4% less likely to be literate

In China, the literacy rate is 96.8% as of 2018. In Senegal, it is 51.9% as of 2017.

be 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In China, approximately 11.4 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Senegal, on the other hand, 45.7 children do as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 35.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In China, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2016. In Senegal, 65% of the population do as of 2017.

be 15.3% less likely to have internet access

In China, approximately 54.3% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Senegal, about 46.0% do as of 2018.

be 10.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In China, approximately 93% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Senegal, that number is 83% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Geography

see 96.3% less coastline

China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Senegal, that number is 531 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direction Generale des Impots et des Domaines, State Administration of Taxation.

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
Read more

How big is Senegal compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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