Guinea-Bissau at its true size
Guinea-Bissau covers 36,125 km², number 135 of 194 countries by area. Home to 2,249,515 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 36,125 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,249,515 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 62 per km² |
| Capital | Bissau |
| Local time in Bissau | |
| Time zone | UTC IANA |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) Wikidata |
| Languages | Portuguese |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +245 |
| Codes | GW · GNB · 624 |
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Where Guinea-Bissau ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#145 of 1942.2 million people#46 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#123 of 19462 people per km²#29 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#134 of 19247% urban#25 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#34 of 1923.76 births per woman#31 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#40 of 192+2.16% a year#29 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#33 of 19229.6 births per 1,000 people#31 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#102 of 1927.0 deaths per 1,000 people#26 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#31 of 19238.3% under 15#29 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#161 of 1923.2% aged 65 and over#31 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#109 of 192−0.6 per 1,000 people#28 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#65 of 1900.80 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#26 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#169 of 185$1,090 a person#38 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#166 of 18430% online#37 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#168 of 184$3,293 a person#39 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#35 of 187+5.8% a year#17 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#144 of 176+0.9% a year#42 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#149 of 1782.7% of the labour force#44 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#19 of 14939.9% under $3.00 a day#19 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#90 of 149a Gini index of 33.4#40 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#13 of 17861.1% of jobs#12 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#158 of 1789.7% of jobs#39 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#166 of 17829.2% of jobs#43 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#117 of 1841.3% of GDP#38 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#152 of 16813.9% of GDP#42 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#121 of 1550.9% of GDP#37 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#29 of 191147 subscriptions per 100 people#7 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#172 of 1850.16 tonnes a person#43 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#10 of 19275% forest#3 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#8 of 19087.4% renewable#8 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#179 of 19243.7% with electricity#42 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#41 of 19132.3 µg/m³#22 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#51 of 19126.2% of the land protected#15 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#68 of 19016.1% of the land arable#19 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#154 of 1761.5% of its available fresh water#42 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#53 of 1801,577 mm a year#11 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Guinea-Bissau’s area, lit up on the map →
- Taiwan1.0×Guinea-Bissau and Taiwan are almost exactly the same size.
- Bhutan0.94×Guinea-Bissau is 6% smaller than Bhutan.
- Moldova1.07×Guinea-Bissau is 7% larger than Moldova.
- Switzerland0.87×Guinea-Bissau is 13% smaller than Switzerland.
- Netherlands0.86×Guinea-Bissau is 14% smaller than Netherlands.
- Belgium1.18×Guinea-Bissau is 18% larger than Belgium.
How many times does Guinea-Bissau fit into…
- Russia: about 473 times
- Canada: about 276 times
- United States: about 272 times
Neighbours
Questions about Guinea-Bissau
- How big is Guinea-Bissau?
- Guinea-Bissau covers 36,125 km², which makes it number 135 of 194 countries by area. About 2,249,515 people live there (2025), 62 per km².
- Is Guinea-Bissau bigger than Taiwan?
- Guinea-Bissau and Taiwan are almost exactly the same size. Guinea-Bissau: 36,125 km²; Taiwan: 36,193 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Guinea-Bissau?
- Guinea-Bissau lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Guinea-Bissau?
- Guinea-Bissau shares a land border with Guinea, Senegal.