Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Botswana, you would:
Health
have 22.4% more doctors per person
Botswana has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
be 89.7% less likely to die by suicide
Botswana has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 72.9% less spent on your healthcare
Botswana spends $1,310 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
Economy
be 62.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Botswana, 24.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Botswana, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
make 47.5% less money
Botswana has a GDP per capita of $7,778 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 51.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Botswana, approximately 155.0 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 71.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Botswana, approximately 32.1 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.
have 15.3% more children
In Botswana, there are approximately 24.4 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 15.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Botswana, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 78% 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 37.6% less on education
Botswana spends 8.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 29.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Botswana, road accidents kill 16.5 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 15.7% less strain on fresh water
Botswana withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 59.8% less home broadband
Botswana has 7.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 77.0% less CO2
Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 54.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Botswana, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Botswana vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.