Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Macau, you would:
Health
live 13.4 years less
In Macau, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 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.
Economy
be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Macau, 2.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 94.6% less money
Macau has a GDP per capita of $75,902 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.3 times more children
In Macau, there are approximately 5.3 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 2.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Macau, approximately 4.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. 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 Macau, 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 34.2% less likely to have internet access
In Macau, approximately 89.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Macau, 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 43.7% more on education
Macau spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.1 times more coastline
Macau has a total of 41 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Infrastructure
find 90.0% less home broadband
Macau has 29.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 75.1% less CO2
Macau emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Macau vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Macau? See an in-depth size comparison.