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

Health

live 9.0 years longer

In Guinea, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 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.

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see 2.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Guinea spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.

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have 2.2 times more doctors per person

Guinea has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 47.5% more access to essential health services

Guinea scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.

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be 82.2% less likely to die by suicide

Guinea has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 68.9% more likely to be obese

In Guinea, 10.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

make 2.2 times more money

Guinea has a GDP per capita of $1,877 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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be 76.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Guinea, 5.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.

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be 27.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Guinea, 43.7% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.

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Life

be 84.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guinea, approximately 494.0 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.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be literate

In Guinea, the literacy rate is 45.3% as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.

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be 84.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Guinea, approximately 59.8 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.

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have 15.7% fewer children

In Guinea, there are approximately 33.3 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.

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Basic Needs

be 59.1% more likely to have access to electricity

In Guinea, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 26% 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.

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be 77.5% more likely to have internet access

In Guinea, approximately 33.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.9 times more on education

Guinea spends 1.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 56.4% more on healthcare

Guinea spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 34.7% less coastline

Guinea has a total of 320 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Safety

be 68.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guinea, road accidents kill 37.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 299.0 times more home broadband

Guinea has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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live with 37.2% more strain on fresh water

Guinea withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 80.0% more CO2

Guinea emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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

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