Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Guinea

One in every 267 babies in the world is born here: about 503,198 a year, 0.96 a minute.

Population: 15,099,727
Births a year: 503,198
Life expectancy: 60.9
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 92.1

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
62.1
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
59.7
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
59.8
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
92.1
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
494
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
1.3
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
≈ 10
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
0.52
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
29.7
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
≈ 5.2
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
4.13
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
47
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
76
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
39
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
11
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
38.1
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$4,217
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
30
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
11.7
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
5.2
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
47
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
43
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
54
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
39
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
54
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
74
World: 91
Internet users (%)
33
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
4.61
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.32
World: 0.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 36.7 → 2026: 60.8 → 2050: 64.7

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 347 → 2026: 90 → 2050: 53

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.1 → 2026: 4 → 2050: 2.7

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 10 → 2026: 39 → 2050: 57

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Guinea comes up about once in every 267 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.