If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of Maryland, you would:

Health

be 42.5% less likely to be obese

In Maryland, 33.4% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Maryland, 3.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

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be 5.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Maryland, 9.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2022.

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make 90.4% less money

Maryland has a GDP per capita of $69,127 as of 2024, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $6,615 as of 2025.

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Basic Needs

be 30.9% less likely to have internet access

In Maryland, approximately 91.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, about 63.3% do as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024). How we calculate this

Equatorial Guinea: At a glance

Equatorial Guinea is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,051 sq km. Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2013 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.
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How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to Maryland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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