Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 8.9 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 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 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 55.3% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 87.9% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 46.3% more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.5 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 5.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 85.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Benin, approximately 518.0 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 84.5% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 79.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Benin, approximately 45.2 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 15.9% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 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 42.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (70% in urban areas, and 44% 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 74.0% more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 12.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Benin, approximately 70% of people have access to drinking water (76% in urban areas, and 63% 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 55.7% more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 72.8% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% 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 72.7% more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 52.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.7 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 91.8% more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 10.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
emit 28.6% more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
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: Benin vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.