If you lived in Guinea-Bissau instead of Nicaragua, you would:

Health

be 63.6% less likely to be obese

In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2024.

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live 10.8 years less

In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 64.1% less spent on your healthcare

Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guinea-Bissau spends $247 as of 2023.

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have 47.1% less access to essential health services

Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guinea-Bissau scores 37 as of 2021.

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be 80.9% more likely to die by suicide

Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 47.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.

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make 64.6% less money

Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Guinea-Bissau, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.

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Life

have 54.4% more children

In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, there are 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 8.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, 505.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 4.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, on the other hand, 42.1 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 54.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 40% of people on average (64% in urban areas, and 21% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 51.5% less likely to have internet access

In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, about 29.8% do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 61.5% less coastline

Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 350 km.

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Safety

be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, they kill 30.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 32.4% less strain on fresh water

Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 93.3% less home broadband

Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 80.7% less CO2

Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guinea-Bissau, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.

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

Guinea-Bissau: At a glance

Guinea-Bissau is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,120 sq km. Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was overthrown in a bloodless military coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation; he was assassinated in March 2009. Malam Bacai SANHA was elected in an emergency election held in June 2009, but he passed away in January 2012 from an existing illness. A military coup in April 2012 prevented Guinea-Bissau's second-round presidential election - to determine SANHA's successor - from taking place.
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