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

Health

be 68.3% less likely to be obese

In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 22.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Saudi Arabia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 2.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 14.7 years less

In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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.

View global rankings →

see 92.9% less spent on your healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guinea-Bissau spends $247 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 92.6% fewer doctors per person

Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 50.0% less access to essential health services

Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guinea-Bissau scores 37 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 8.1 times more likely to die by suicide

Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 12.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 96.7% less money

Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Guinea-Bissau, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 79.2% more children

In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, there are 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 72.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, 505.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 34.7% less likely to be literate

In Saudi Arabia, the literacy rate is 97.9% as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, it is 63.9% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 9.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 59.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

View global rankings →

be 70.2% less likely to have internet access

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, about 29.8% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 37.6% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 62% of people on average (73% in urban areas, and 53% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 39.7% less on education

Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

View global rankings →

spend 55.0% more on healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 86.7% less coastline

Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 350 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 19.1% more likely to be murdered

Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.

View global rankings →

be 64.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, they kill 30.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water

Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 99.1% less home broadband

Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 99.1% less CO2

Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). 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.
Read more

How big is Guinea-Bissau compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Guinea-Bissau or Saudi Arabia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.