Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 19.3% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 92.8% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.9 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 94.9% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 89.4% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 33.7% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 6.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
make 95.8% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 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.
be 25.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 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 4.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 39.8% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 31.2% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 35.7% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.8% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 4.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.0% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 4.8 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 92.6% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 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: Iceland vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.