Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:
Health
live 5.7 years longer
In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 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 43.7% more spent on your healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends $247 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 84.1% more doctors per person
Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 59.5% more access to essential health services
Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 88.8% less likely to die by suicide
Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 41.0% more likely to be obese
In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.6 times more money
Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 85.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 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 48.3% more likely to be literate
In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 78.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 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 2.0 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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 98.5% more likely to have internet access
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 26.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% 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 34.6% less on healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% 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 86.3% more on education
Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 40.3% less coastline
Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 61.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.7 times more home broadband
Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 25.3% more strain on fresh water
Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 3.9 times more CO2
Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2020–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guinea-Bissau vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.