Guinea vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 8% larger than Guinea.
GuineaWestern SaharaGuinea moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.92×
Guinea is 0.92× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 1.08× the size of Guinea.
 Guinea |  Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaWestern Sahara: 1.08× the area | 245,857 km²#77 of 194 | 266,000 km² |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGuinea: 24.7× the population | 15,099,727#75 of 194 · 2025 | 612,0002021 |
| DensityGuinea: 26.7× the density | 61 / km²#125 of 194 | 2.3 / km² |
| Urban population | 39%#153 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 4.13 per woman#20 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +2.31%#33 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 33.3 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 40.5%#19 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 3.5%#153 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 3.16 per 1,000#33 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 60.9 years#185 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 59.8 per 1,000 births#7 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 0.21 per 1,000#147 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.500#176 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $1,730#154 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $28.35B2025 | — |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $4,935#151 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +7.4%#16 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +3.6%#71 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 5.2%#86 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Extreme poverty | 11.7%#43 of 149 · 2018 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 29.6#123 of 149 · 2018 | — |
| Jobs in agriculture | 47.4% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 14.2% of jobs#142 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 38.5% of jobs#149 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 27.4% of GDP#4 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 41.4% of GDP#66 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 2.0% of GDP#59 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 33%#161 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 98 per 100#131 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 20% of land#120 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 0.35 t a year#157 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 66.6%#31 of 190 · 2022 | — |
| Access to electricity | 53.8%#173 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 27.3 µg/m³#56 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 42.6% of land#6 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 24.7% of land#40 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 1.4%#157 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 1,651 mm#48 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | −0.73#156 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Status disputed |
| Government | Presidential republic | —legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 75% of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) |
| Capital | Conakry | — |
| Currency | Guinean franc (GNF) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Official languages | French, languages of Guinea | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +224 | +212 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Northern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Guinea sits at about 10° N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Guinea bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. Guinea is 8% smaller than Western Sahara. Guinea covers 245,857 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Guinea fit into Western Sahara?
- About 1.1 times: Western Sahara has 1.08× the area of Guinea.
- Why do Guinea and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Guinea is drawn about 1.03× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Guinea or Western Sahara?
- Guinea: 15,099,727 people against 612,000. Density: Guinea 61 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².