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

Health

be 40.5% less likely to be obese

In Guyana, 30.1% 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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be 96.5% less likely to die by suicide

Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 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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see 73.3% less spent on your healthcare

Guyana spends $1,331 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 66.5% fewer doctors per person

Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 22.4% less access to essential health services

Guyana scores 76 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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Economy

be 23.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Guyana, 12.0% 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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make 87.4% less money

Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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Life

be 60.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Guyana, approximately 23.2 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 41.3% more children

In Guyana, there are approximately 19.9 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 17.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In Guyana, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 92% 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 28.8% less likely to have internet access

In Guyana, approximately 83.0% 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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be 18.5% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Guyana, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 96% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 2.3 times more on healthcare

Guyana spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 54.5% less coastline

Guyana has a total of 459 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Safety

be 23.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guyana, road accidents kill 15.2 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

live with 43.0% less strain on fresh water

Guyana withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 76.9% less home broadband

Guyana has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 86.2% less CO2

Guyana emits 4.6 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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be 63.5% more likely to die from air pollution

In Guyana, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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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