Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
be 41.8% less likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 79.5% less likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.0 years less
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 69.6% less spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 80.9% fewer doctors per person
Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 23.4% less access to essential health services
Dominican Republic scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 79.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 63.1% less money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 39.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 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 66.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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 59.4% more children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Dominican Republic, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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.
be 35.0% less likely to have internet access
In Dominican Republic, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 20.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Dominican Republic, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 95% 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.
Expenditures
spend 33.8% more on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 25.4% more on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% 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 83.8% less coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 57.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 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 95.2% less strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 73.3% less home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 78.9% less CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.