Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 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.
be 21.0% less likely to be obese
In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
have 20.4% more access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 88.2% less likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 47.2% less spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 10.9% fewer doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
be 54.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 66.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Gabon, 33.4% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
make 50.6% less money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 67.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 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 64.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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.
Basic Needs
be 13.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gabon, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 29% 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 14.0% less likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 12.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 49% 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 2.2 times more on education
Gabon spends 2.3% 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 84.3% more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% 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 76.4% less coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Infrastructure
find 36.2% less home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 3.8 times more strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 69.3% less CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 60.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.