Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:
Health
be 40.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 1.8 years longer
In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
have 24.3% more access to essential health services
Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
be 37.3% less likely to die by suicide
Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 61.9% less spent on your healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends $247 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 64.3% fewer doctors per person
Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 18.2% less money
Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.9% 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 Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.3% 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 Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
be 19.2% less likely to be literate
In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 65.2% 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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 66.2% more likely to have internet access
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 40.9% 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 67.2% less on healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 77.1% less coastline
Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Safety
be 27.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 33.3% more home broadband
Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
live with 47.3% more strain on fresh water
Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 12.5% more CO2
Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia 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: Guinea-Bissau vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.