If you lived in Paraguay instead of Gambia, you would:

Health

be 61.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Paraguay, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 7.9 years longer

In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Paraguay, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 15.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Paraguay spends $1,469 as of 2023.

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have 43.3 times more doctors per person

Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Paraguay has 38.9 as of 2022.

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have 56.5% more access to essential health services

Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Paraguay scores 72 as of 2021.

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be 2.8 times more likely to be obese

In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Paraguay, that number is 34.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 32.2% more likely to die by suicide

Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Paraguay, it is 6.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 26.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Paraguay, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.

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make 7.6 times more money

Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Paraguay, the GDP per capita is $7,027 as of 2025.

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Life

be 83.6% less 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 Paraguay, 58.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 83.7% more likely to be literate

In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Paraguay, it is 94.9% as of 2024.

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be 55.7% less 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 Paraguay, on the other hand, 14.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 33.9% fewer children

In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Paraguay, there are 19.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 49.2% more 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 Paraguay, 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 64.8% more likely to have internet access

In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Paraguay, about 81.6% do as of 2024.

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be 14.4% more 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 Paraguay, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 25.6% more on education

Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Paraguay spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 2.9 times more on healthcare

Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Paraguay, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 26.5% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night

In Gambia, 59% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Paraguay, that number is 43% as of 2019.

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Infrastructure

find 24.8 times more home broadband

Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Paraguay has 12.9 as of 2023.

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live with 16.7% less strain on fresh water

Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Paraguay withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 72.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Paraguay, it causes 25.0 as of 2019.

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emit 6.4 times more CO2

Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Paraguay emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Paraguay: At a glance

Paraguay is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 397,302 sq km. Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two-thirds of its adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half century. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since the country's return to democracy.
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How big is Paraguay compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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