Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
be 24.5% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.8 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 60.7% more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.
have 32.4% less access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Equatorial Guinea scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, 174.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 88.1% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 296 km.
Infrastructure
live with 99.4% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 31.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Equatorial Guinea, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea: At a glance
How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.