Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Guernsey, you would:

Health

live 13.3 years less

In Guernsey, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 52.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Guernsey, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.9 times more children

In Guernsey, there are approximately 9.7 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.

View global rankings →

be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Guernsey, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Guernsey, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, 81% of the population do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 31.7% less likely to have internet access

In Guernsey, approximately 86.6% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 4.2 times more coastline

Guernsey has a total of 50 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

View global rankings →

Sources: The World Factbook (2021–2024), World Bank (2023–2025). How we calculate this

Compare further: Guernsey vs. Sao Tome and Principe

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sao Tome and Principe is 59.1% cheaper than Guernsey overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Guernsey is about 12 times smaller than Sao Tome and Principe.
→

Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance

Sao Tome and Principe is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 964 sq km. Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with African plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA. The new government of Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira DA COSTA is entirely composed of opposition party members with limited experience in governance. New oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea may attract increased attention to the small island nation.
Read more

How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Guernsey? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Sao Tome and Principe or Guernsey. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.