Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Bulgaria, you would:
Health
be 11.8% less likely to be obese
In Bulgaria, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 91.0% less likely to die by suicide
Bulgaria has a suicide rate of 9.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.9 years less
In Bulgaria, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 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.
see 88.0% less spent on your healthcare
Bulgaria spends $2,970 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 89.3% fewer doctors per person
Bulgaria has 43.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 19.2% less access to essential health services
Bulgaria scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Bulgaria, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 79.9% less money
Bulgaria has a GDP per capita of $20,328 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.4 times more children
In Bulgaria, there are approximately 8.3 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 12.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Bulgaria, approximately 6.0 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 100.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Bulgaria, approximately 4.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bulgaria, 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 28.3% less likely to have internet access
In Bulgaria, approximately 82.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Bulgaria, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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 27.1% less on healthcare
Bulgaria spends 7.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 11.8% more on education
Bulgaria spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 41.0% less coastline
Bulgaria has a total of 354 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 39.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Bulgaria, road accidents kill 8.4 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 95.3% less strain on fresh water
Bulgaria withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 91.9% less home broadband
Bulgaria has 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 88.1% less CO2
Bulgaria emits 5.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 34.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Bulgaria, air pollution causes 63.0 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: Bulgaria vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Bulgaria? See an in-depth size comparison.