Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
be 51.6% less likely to be obese
In Brunei, 37.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 71.8% less likely to die by suicide
Brunei has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.6 years less
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 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 81.3% less spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 75.4% fewer doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 24.4% less access to essential health services
Brunei scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Brunei, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 87.3% less money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 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 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Brunei, approximately 36.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Brunei, 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 38.6% less likely to have internet access
In Brunei, approximately 96.3% 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 Brunei, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% 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 29.8% more coastline
Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 6.4 times more likely to be murdered
Brunei has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 3.2 per 100,000 as of 2011.
be 3.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 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 45.8% less strain on fresh water
Brunei withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 85.9% less home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 96.9% less CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Brunei, air pollution causes 20.0 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 (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.