Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 10.9 years less

In District of Columbia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022.

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Economy

make 97.4% less money

District of Columbia has a GDP per capita of $209,167 as of 2024, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $5,500 as of 2023.

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be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In District of Columbia, 6.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 14.2% as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 43.5% less likely to have internet access

In District of Columbia, approximately 90.3% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Compare further: District of Columbia vs. Sao Tome and Principe

Cost of Living Comparison · 6 categories - 2026 data
Sao Tome and Principe is 24.9% cheaper than District of Columbia
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Size Comparison · See true size
District of Columbia is about 5 times smaller than Sao Tome and Principe.
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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 District of Columbia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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