Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Bangladesh, you would:
Health
see 78.8% more spent on your healthcare
Bangladesh spends $199 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 13.5% more access to essential health services
Bangladesh scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 69.4% less likely to die by suicide
Bangladesh has a suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.0 years less
In Bangladesh, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 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 3.1 times more likely to be obese
In Bangladesh, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
have 35.7% fewer doctors per person
Bangladesh has 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
make 57.3% more money
Bangladesh has a GDP per capita of $2,597 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Bangladesh, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 34.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Bangladesh, approximately 115.0 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 20.0% more likely to be literate
In Bangladesh, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 62.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Bangladesh, approximately 24.4 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 40.5% more children
In Bangladesh, there are approximately 20.0 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 10.7% more likely to have internet access
In Bangladesh, approximately 53.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 18.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bangladesh, 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 21.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Bangladesh, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 78% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on education
Bangladesh spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
Bangladesh spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 64.0% less coastline
Bangladesh has a total of 580 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 37.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Bangladesh, road accidents kill 18.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 67.1% less strain on fresh water
Bangladesh withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 63.0% less home broadband
Bangladesh has 8.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 12.5% less CO2
Bangladesh emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 28.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Bangladesh, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Bangladesh vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Bangladesh? See an in-depth size comparison.