Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guinea-Bissau instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guinea-Bissau spends $247 as of 2023.
have 2.8 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 as of 2022.
be 69.2% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 2.2% of people as of 2024.
live 1.8 years less
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024.
have 19.6% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guinea-Bissau scores 37 as of 2021.
be 59.5% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 59.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 22.3% more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Guinea-Bissau, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
be 23.8% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, it is 63.9% as of 2022.
be 42.7% more likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, 505.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, on the other hand, 42.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 39.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 40% of people on average (64% in urban areas, and 21% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 39.8% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, about 29.8% do as of 2024.
be 29.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 62% of people on average (73% in urban areas, and 53% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.1 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.4 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 350 km.
Safety
be 38.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, they kill 30.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 32.1% less strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 25.0% less home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 11.1% less CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau: At a glance
How big is Guinea-Bissau compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.