Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
be 38.1% less likely to be obese
In Ecuador, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 88.6% less likely to die by suicide
Ecuador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.7 years less
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 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 71.3% less spent on your healthcare
Ecuador spends $1,238 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 79.9% fewer doctors per person
Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 23.4% less access to essential health services
Ecuador 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 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ecuador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 42.7% less money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 15.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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 89.5% more children
In Ecuador, there are approximately 14.8 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.
be 36.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 17.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ecuador, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 23.4% less likely to have internet access
In Ecuador, approximately 77.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 15.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ecuador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 81% 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 23.7% less on healthcare
Ecuador spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 36.3% more on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.7% less coastline
Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 50.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ecuador, road accidents kill 23.4 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 72.3% less strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 82.7% less home broadband
Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 76.1% less CO2
Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ecuador vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.