Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Lebanon, you would:
Health
be 41.7% less likely to be obese
In Lebanon, 30.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
live 8.0 years less
In Lebanon, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 44.9% less spent on your healthcare
Lebanon spends $644 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 82.7% fewer doctors per person
Lebanon has 26.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 19.2% less access to essential health services
Lebanon scores 73 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 22.9% more likely to die by suicide
Lebanon has a suicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 16.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Lebanon, 11.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 39.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Lebanon, approximately 15.3 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 76.0% more children
In Lebanon, there are approximately 16.0 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 5.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Lebanon, approximately 15.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Lebanon, 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 26.7% less likely to have internet access
In Lebanon, approximately 80.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 15.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Lebanon, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.1 times more on education
Lebanon spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 20.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Lebanon, road accidents kill 9.7 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 96.8% less strain on fresh water
Lebanon withdraws 59% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 59.0% less home broadband
Lebanon has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 66.8% less CO2
Lebanon emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 44.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Lebanon, air pollution causes 59.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lebanon vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Lebanon? See an in-depth size comparison.