Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 5.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 2.7 times more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 68.6% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 85.9% less likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.0 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 6.8 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 83.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 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 26.9% more likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 78.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 43.0 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.
have 11.4% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 2.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% 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 3.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 40.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 78% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.9% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 68.2% more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% 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 95.7% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 48.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 24.9 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 83.3% less strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 46.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.2 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.