Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Malawi, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Malawi, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Malawi spends $125 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 8.6 times more doctors per person
Malawi has 0.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 22.9% more access to essential health services
Malawi scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 88.6% less likely to die by suicide
Malawi has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Malawi, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 6.1 times more money
Malawi has a GDP per capita of $672 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 80.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Malawi, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 66.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malawi, approximately 225.0 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 40.9% more likely to be literate
In Malawi, the literacy rate is 67.3% as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 75.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Malawi, approximately 38.0 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 5.2 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Malawi, approximately 16% of people have electricity access (58% in urban areas, and 6% 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 3.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Malawi, approximately 19.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.6% less on healthcare
Malawi spends 6.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 82.9% more on education
Malawi spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 42.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malawi, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 77.8% more likely to be murdered
Malawi has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 3.2 per 100,000 as of 2011.
Infrastructure
find 33.2 times more home broadband
Malawi has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 89.3% less strain on fresh water
Malawi withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 97.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malawi, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Malawi emits 0.2 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 (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Malawi vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Malawi? See an in-depth size comparison.