# Guinea and Guinea-Bissau compared

Guinea and Guinea-Bissau side by side: 40 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 7 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/gin-vs-gnb
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Guinea: 2 October 1958 — Guinea votes 'Non' and proclaims independence from France
- Guinea-Bissau: September 1973 — The PAIGC declares the Republic of Guinea-Bissau

## Economy

| Metric | Guinea | Observed | Guinea-Bissau | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $25 B | 2024 | $2.2 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $1,695 | 2024 | $1,008 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 5.4% | 2024 | 4.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 8.1% | 2024 | 3.8% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 97.8% | 2024 | 38.8% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Guinea | Observed | Guinea-Bissau | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 15 m | 2024 | 2.2 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 60.9 yrs | 2024 | 64.3 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 38.1% | 2024 | 46.1% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 4.1 | 2024 | 3.8 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Guinea | Observed | Guinea-Bissau | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 35.7 | 2024 | 43.2 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 48.2 | 2024 | 55.3 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 34.1 | 2024 | 24.7 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 40.8 | 2024 | 36.1 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 37.2 | 2024 | 35.7 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 24.1 | 2024 | 20.6 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Guinea | Observed | Guinea-Bissau | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 3.7% | 2023 | 8.8% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.21 | 2022 | 0.25 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 92.1 | 2024 | 67.3 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 60.0% | 2024 | 65.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | — | — | 24.0% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Guinea | Observed | Guinea-Bissau | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 39.6% | 2018 | 63.9% | 2022 |
| Education spending | 1.7% | 2023 | 2.0% | 2013 |
| Primary enrolment | 100.5% | 2020 | 113.4% | 2010 |
| Secondary enrolment | 38.6% | 2014 | 34.4% | 2006 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 10.9% | 2014 | 2.6% | 2006 |

## Technology

| Metric | Guinea | Observed | Guinea-Bissau | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet users | 33.3% | 2024 | 29.8% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 98 | 2023 | 147 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 0.9% | 2016 | 5.8% | 2015 |

## Geography

| Metric | Guinea | Observed | Guinea-Bissau | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 245,720 km² | 2023 | 28,120 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 24.7% | 2023 | 69.5% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 73.2% | 2023 | 29.9% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.4 | 2024 | 0.2 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 66.6% | 2022 | 87.4% | 2022 |

## Resources

| Metric | Guinea | Observed | Guinea-Bissau | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 4.5% | 2021 | 10.4% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 4.5% | 2021 | 10.4% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 51.1% | 2023 | 40.5% | 2023 |
| Bauxite | 150 Mt | 2025 | — | — |

## Military

| Metric | Guinea | Observed | Guinea-Bissau | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.1% | 2024 | 1.2% | 2023 |
| Defense spending | $562 M | 2024 | $25 M | 2023 |
| Armed forces | 13,000 | 2020 | 4,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/GIN.md and https://terralore.co/country/GNB.md.

## Entangled histories (7 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1455–1456: **Portuguese ships reach the Rivers of Guinea** — Expeditions under Alvise Cadamosto, sailing for Portugal's Prince Henry the Navigator, explored the coast and estuaries of Guinea, opening European trade in the labyrinth of rivers that gave the region its name. (from the Guinea-Bissau chronicle; sources: Portuguese Guinea; History of Guinea-Bissau; Guinea-Bissau (country overview and history))
- 16th–18th centuries: **The Atlantic slave trade via Cape Verde** — Administered through Cape Verde, the Rivers of Guinea became a major source of enslaved people; tens of thousands were carried to the islands' plantations and onward to the Americas, especially during the Iberian Union (1580–1640). (from the Guinea-Bissau chronicle; sources: Guinea-Bissau (country overview and history); History of Guinea-Bissau; A Guide to the History of Recognition: Guinea-Bissau)
- 1869: **Slavery abolished, contract labour follows** — Portugal abolished slavery in its territories, but replaced it with coercive "contract labour" arrangements; the transatlantic trade through Guinea's rivers had already declined across the nineteenth century. (from the Guinea-Bissau chronicle; sources: History of Guinea-Bissau; Guinea-Bissau (country overview and history))
- 1879: **Guinea separated from Cape Verde** — Portuguese Guinea was detached from Cape Verde and constituted as a separate colony; after the Berlin Conference its frontiers with French possessions were fixed by agreement with France. (from the Guinea-Bissau chronicle; sources: Portuguese Guinea; Guinea-Bissau (country overview and history))
- 1892: **A separate military district** — Lisbon made Guinea a distinct military district to promote "effective occupation", but Portuguese authority still reached little beyond the coastal forts and trading towns. (from the Guinea-Bissau chronicle; sources: Portuguese Guinea)
- 1951: **Renamed an "overseas province"** — Responding to international criticism, Portugal reclassified Guinea and its other colonies as "overseas provinces", recasting empire as an integral part of Portugal while colonial conditions persisted. (from the Guinea-Bissau chronicle; sources: Portuguese Guinea; History of Guinea-Bissau)
- 1956: **Amílcar Cabral founds the PAIGC** — The agronomist Amílcar Cabral and a small group founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the movement that would lead the struggle against Portuguese rule. (from the Guinea-Bissau chronicle; sources: Amílcar Cabral; History of Guinea-Bissau; Guinea-Bissau (country overview and history))

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/GIN/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/GNB/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Guinea and Guinea-Bissau compared", terralore.co/compare/gin-vs-gnb, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.