Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Belize, you would:
Health
be 58.7% less likely to be obese
In Belize, 43.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 79.4% less likely to die by suicide
Belize has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.8 years less
In Belize, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 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.
see 38.1% less spent on your healthcare
Belize spends $573 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 13.2% less access to essential health services
Belize scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
make 48.1% less money
Belize has a GDP per capita of $7,865 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 14.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Belize, approximately 10.8 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.
have 55.6% more children
In Belize, there are approximately 18.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Belize, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 26.1% less likely to have internet access
In Belize, approximately 80.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 17.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Belize, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 91% 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 39.0% more on healthcare
Belize spends 4.2% 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 45.9% less coastline
Belize has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 33.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belize, road accidents kill 17.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.3% less home broadband
Belize has 9.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 49.2% more strain on fresh water
Belize withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 32.3% less CO2
Belize emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belize, air pollution causes 21.0 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: Belize vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Belize? See an in-depth size comparison.