Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:
Health
live 1.6 years longer
In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
be 6.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guinea-Bissau, 3.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Guinea-Bissau, 9.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 6.4 times more money
Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,800 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 75.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guinea-Bissau, 67.0% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
Life
be 82.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 667.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 58.6% more likely to be literate
In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 59.9% as of 2015. In South Africa, it is 95.0% as of 2019.
be 47.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 49.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
have 49.1% fewer children
In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 36.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 3.4 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 28% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 7% in rural areas) as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 94% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 3.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 23.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
be 32.3% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (91% in urban areas, and 59% in rural areas) as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 97% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 90% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Guinea-Bissau spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 8.0 times more coastline
Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.