Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 44.3% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 88.7% less likely to die by suicide
El Salvador 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 2.4 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 69.8% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 71.3% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 24.4% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 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 El Salvador, 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 29.2% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 80.1% more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 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.
be 92.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 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 17.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In El Salvador, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 97% 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 11.1% less likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 14.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In El Salvador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 80% 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 37.9% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% 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 51.5% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% 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 31.9% less coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 45.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 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 84.4% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 76.0% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 58.3% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 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: El Salvador vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.