Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 49.1% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 49.1% less likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.7 years less
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 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 59.1% less spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 20.3% less access to essential health services
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 49.0% less money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 42.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 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 43.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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.
have 2.5 times more children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 16.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Jamaica, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 96% 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 34.4% less likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 90.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 11.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% 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 24.1% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 79.5% less coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 34.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 84.8% less strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 81.3% less home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 77.8% less CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Jamaica vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.