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

Health

be 91.8% less likely to die by suicide

Denmark has a suicide rate of 10.5 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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live 12.3 years less

In Denmark, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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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be 25.1% more likely to be obese

In Denmark, 14.3% 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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see 95.1% less spent on your healthcare

Denmark spends $7,262 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.

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have 89.7% fewer doctors per person

Denmark has 45.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 28.0% less access to essential health services

Denmark scores 82 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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Economy

be 65.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Denmark, 5.5% 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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make 94.7% less money

Denmark has a GDP per capita of $76,970 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.0 times more children

In Denmark, there are approximately 9.5 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.

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be 18.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Denmark, approximately 4.0 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 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In Denmark, approximately 3.5 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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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Denmark, 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 40.7% less likely to have internet access

In Denmark, approximately 99.8% 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 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Denmark, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 20.9% less on education

Denmark spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 38.6% less on healthcare

Denmark spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 97.1% less coastline

Denmark has a total of 7,314 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Safety

be 5.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Denmark, road accidents kill 2.3 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 92.6% less strain on fresh water

Denmark withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 93.1% less home broadband

Denmark has 43.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 85.3% less CO2

Denmark emits 4.3 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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be 6.5 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Denmark, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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 Denmark? See an in-depth size comparison.

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