Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guinea-Bissau instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 76.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 2.2% of people as of 2024.
live 2.3 years less
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 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.
have 22.2% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 as of 2022.
have 33.9% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guinea-Bissau scores 37 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 15.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Guinea-Bissau, however, that number is 50.5% as of 2021.
make 14.7% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Guinea-Bissau, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
be 5.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, 505.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.9% less likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, it is 63.9% as of 2022.
be 21.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, approximately 34.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 74.2% more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, about 29.8% do as of 2024.
be 20.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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.
be 15.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Zambia, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 58% 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.
Expenditures
spend 33.7% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 47.5% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 78.5% less likely to be murdered
Zambia has a homicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 78.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, they kill 30.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 47.2% less strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 50.6% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 70.4% less CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 78.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guinea-Bissau, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau: At a glance
How big is Guinea-Bissau compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.