Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 23.2% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 84.8% less likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.9 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 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 75.4% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 80.2% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 22.4% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 68.9% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 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 2.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 26.0 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 31.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 7.0 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 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Malaysia, 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 39.7% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 20.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Malaysia, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 95% 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 43.3% more on education
Malaysia 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.
spend 45.7% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% 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 95.5% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 15.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 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 45.3% less strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 77.9% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 92.4% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 34.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.