Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
be 55.7% less likely to be obese
In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 62.8% less likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 14.7 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 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 86.2% less spent on your healthcare
Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 79.6% fewer doctors per person
Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 24.4% less access to essential health services
Kuwait scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 87.4% less money
Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 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 9.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 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 31.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 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 Kuwait, 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 40.9% less likely to have internet access
In Kuwait, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Kuwait, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.9% less on education
Kuwait spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 16.3% more on healthcare
Kuwait spends 5.0% 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 58.1% less coastline
Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 27.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 100.0% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 97.3% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 88.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.