Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 14.1% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 95.3% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.4 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 95.3% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 87.0% fewer doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 31.4% less access to essential health services
Belgium scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 93.3% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.1 times more children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 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 18.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 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 3.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Belgium, 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 38.3% less likely to have internet access
In Belgium, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Belgium, 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.
Expenditures
spend 19.9% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 46.6% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% 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 3.1 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 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 96.4% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 93.2% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 91.4% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.