Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Aruba, you would:
Health
live 6.6 years less
In Aruba, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 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.
Economy
make 89.4% less money
Aruba has a GDP per capita of $38,591 as of 2024, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 23.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Aruba, approximately 12.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.
have 3.7 times more children
In Aruba, there are approximately 7.6 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 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Aruba, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 81% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 39.1% less likely to have internet access
In Aruba, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.0% more on education
Aruba spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.1 times more coastline
Aruba has a total of 68 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 68.4% more likely to be murdered
Aruba has a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000 people as of 2014. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 3.2 per 100,000 as of 2011.
Infrastructure
find 82.9% less home broadband
Aruba has 17.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 87.8% less CO2
Aruba emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2014). How we calculate this
Compare further: Aruba vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Aruba? See an in-depth size comparison.