Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Burma, you would:
Health
live 2.8 years longer
In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 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 25.4% more spent on your healthcare
Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 13.5% more access to essential health services
Burma scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 70.2% less likely to die by suicide
Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
have 38.7% fewer doctors per person
Burma has 7.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
make 2.7 times more money
Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burma, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Burma, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
Life
be 59.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burma, approximately 185.0 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 72.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Burma, approximately 32.8 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 70.7% more children
In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 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 34.4% more likely to have internet access
In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.4% more on healthcare
Burma spends 4.5% 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 89.2% less coastline
Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 39.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burma, road accidents kill 19.3 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 67.6% less strain on fresh water
Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 19.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burma vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.