Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Equatorial Guinea, you would:
Health
be 95.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Equatorial Guinea, 7.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.
live 6.0 years longer
In Equatorial Guinea, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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.
have 3.0 times more doctors per person
Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 28.3% more access to essential health services
Equatorial Guinea scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 87.8% less likely to die by suicide
Equatorial Guinea has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 41.7% less spent on your healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends $609 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
Economy
make 38.3% less money
Equatorial Guinea has a GDP per capita of $6,615 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 56.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 174.0 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 80.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 47.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 21.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 2% 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.
Expenditures
spend 64.9% more on healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends 3.5% 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 29.4% less coastline
Equatorial Guinea has a total of 296 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Infrastructure
find 29.9 times more home broadband
Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 10.4 times more strain on fresh water
Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 75.3% less CO2
Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 44.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Equatorial Guinea, air pollution causes 59.0 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), The World Factbook (2020), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Equatorial Guinea vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Equatorial Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.