Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 95.1% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 14.1 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 93.4% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 82.5% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 28.9% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 88.6% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.9 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 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 Japan, 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 5.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Japan, 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 30.9% less likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Japan, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.3% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 50.6% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.3% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 4.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 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 94.9% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 92.3% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 92.0% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 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: Japan vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.