Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of British Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 7.5 years less

In British Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 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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Life

be 19.3% less likely to die during infancy

In British Virgin Islands, approximately 11.4 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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have 3.4 times more children

In British Virgin Islands, there are approximately 8.2 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.

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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In British Virgin Islands, 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 23.9% less likely to have internet access

In British Virgin Islands, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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be 21.9% less likely to have access to drinking water

In British Virgin Islands, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 58.7% more on education

British Virgin Islands 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.

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Geography

see 2.6 times more coastline

British Virgin Islands has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Infrastructure

find 88.0% less home broadband

British Virgin Islands has 24.9 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 73.0% less CO2

British Virgin Islands emits 2.3 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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Sources: World Bank (2023–2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: British Virgin Islands vs. Sao Tome and Principe

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sao Tome and Principe is 51.3% cheaper than British Virgin Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
British Virgin Islands is about 6 times smaller than Sao Tome and Principe.
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Moving from British Virgin Islands to Sao Tome and Principe · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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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How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to British Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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