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

Health

live 10.6 years less

In Cayman Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 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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Economy

make 96.1% less money

Cayman Islands has a GDP per capita of $104,293 as of 2024, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.4 times more children

In Cayman Islands, there are approximately 11.6 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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be 20.3% more likely to die during infancy

In Cayman Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Cayman 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 27.1% less likely to have internet access

In Cayman Islands, approximately 81.1% 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 18.3% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Cayman Islands, approximately 95% 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 3.2 times more on education

Cayman Islands spends 1.6% 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 30.6% more coastline

Cayman Islands has a total of 160 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Infrastructure

find 94.7% less home broadband

Cayman Islands has 56.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 87.4% less CO2

Cayman Islands emits 5.0 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 (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022). How we calculate this

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 Cayman Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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