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

Health

live 14.7 years longer

In Chad, the average life expectancy is 55 years (53 years for men, 57 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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see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Chad spends $130 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.

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have 5.5 times more doctors per person

Chad has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 2.0 times more access to essential health services

Chad scores 29 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.

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be 83.5% less likely to die by suicide

Chad has a suicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.4 times more likely to be obese

In Chad, 7.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 4.0 times more money

Chad has a GDP per capita of $1,022 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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be 8.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Chad, 1.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.

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Life

be 90.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Chad, approximately 748.0 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.

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be 3.5 times more likely to be literate

In Chad, the literacy rate is 26.8% as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.

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be 83.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Chad, approximately 56.3 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 35.1% fewer children

In Chad, there are approximately 43.3 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.

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Basic Needs

be 6.8 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Chad, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (48% in urban areas, and 0% 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 4.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Chad, approximately 12.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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be 49.3% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Chad, approximately 52% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 44% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 57.2% more on education

Chad 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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spend 15.4% more on healthcare

Chad spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 55.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Chad, road accidents kill 26.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 56.2% less strain on fresh water

Chad withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 10.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Chad, air pollution causes 95.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.

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emit 4.5 times more CO2

Chad emits 0.1 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). 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 Chad? See an in-depth size comparison.

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