If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Belarus, you would:

Health

be 13.2% less likely to be obese

In Belarus, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

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be 94.5% less likely to die by suicide

Belarus has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 4.5 years less

In Belarus, the average life expectancy is 74 years (70 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.

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see 83.8% less spent on your healthcare

Belarus spends $2,194 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.

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have 90.2% fewer doctors per person

Belarus has 47.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 25.3% less access to essential health services

Belarus scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed

In Belarus, 3.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.

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make 60.3% less money

Belarus has a GDP per capita of $10,279 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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Life

have 4.0 times more children

In Belarus, there are approximately 7.0 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.

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be 75.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Belarus, approximately 1.0 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.

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be 5.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Belarus, approximately 1.8 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.

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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Belarus, 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.

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be 37.3% less likely to have internet access

In Belarus, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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be 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Belarus, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 18.5% less on healthcare

Belarus spends 7.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 58.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Belarus, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 59.7% less strain on fresh water

Belarus withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 91.8% less home broadband

Belarus has 36.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 89.4% less CO2

Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 25.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Belarus, air pollution causes 68.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance

Sao Tome and Principe is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 964 sq km. Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with African plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA. The new government of Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira DA COSTA is entirely composed of opposition party members with limited experience in governance. New oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea may attract increased attention to the small island nation.
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