Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 12.9% less likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
have 46.4% more doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 43.9% more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 76.1% less likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 31.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 9.8 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 17.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
Life
be 85.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Afghanistan, approximately 521.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, 75.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 81.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Afghanistan, approximately 48.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.
have 19.8% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 3.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 61.5% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 73.4% more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 51.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 37.4 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 96.6% less strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 40.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.