Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
live 12.1 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 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 19.4% less likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
have 97.4% more doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 11.3% more access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 97.0% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 3.8 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 11.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
Life
be 84.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Lesotho, approximately 478.0 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 83.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Lesotho, approximately 56.3 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 18.2% more children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 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 41.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Lesotho, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 45% 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 14.1% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.0% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% 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 54.2% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 91.5% less likely to be murdered
Lesotho has a homicide rate of 37.7 per 100,000 people as of 2008. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 3.2 per 100,000 as of 2011.
be 45.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.9 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 26.8% less strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 15.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
emit 46.5% more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2008–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.