Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belgium instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:
Health
be 90.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.
live 18.0 years longer
In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 30.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends $247 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belgium spends $7,489 as of 2023.
have 14.2 times more doctors per person
Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Belgium has 35.7 as of 2022.
have 2.3 times more access to essential health services
Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belgium scores 86 as of 2021.
be 64.0% more likely to be obese
In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 20.9% of people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belgium, it is 18.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guinea-Bissau, 50.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belgium, however, that number is 12.3% as of 2022.
make 54.1 times more money
Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Belgium, the GDP per capita is $60,750 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belgium, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 99.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belgium, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 92.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Belgium, on the other hand, 3.1 children do as of 2024.
have 68.9% fewer children
In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belgium, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belgium, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
be 61.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Belgium, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Belgium spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 22.4% more on healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belgium, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.0% less coastline
Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In Belgium, that number is 66 km.
Safety
be 84.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belgium, they kill 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 113.4 times more home broadband
Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belgium has 44.2 as of 2024.
live with 35.2 times more strain on fresh water
Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belgium withdraws 53% as of 2022.
Environment
be 83.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guinea-Bissau, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belgium, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 45.7 times more CO2
Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guinea-Bissau vs. Belgium
Belgium: At a glance
How big is Belgium compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.