Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 54.5% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 75.4% less likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.4 years less
In Barbados, 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.
see 69.2% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 84.3% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 23.4% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
make 85.6% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 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.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Barbados, approximately 35.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Barbados, 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 16.0% less likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Barbados, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.3% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 17.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 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 97.9% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 92.0% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 75.0% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.