Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Maldives, you would:
Health
be 41.5% less likely to die by suicide
Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.4 years less
In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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 84.5% less spent on your healthcare
Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 79.2% fewer doctors per person
Maldives has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 10.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Maldives, 5.4% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
make 72.1% less money
Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 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 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Maldives, approximately 32.0 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 95.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Maldives, approximately 4.7 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 Maldives, 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 30.6% less likely to have internet access
In Maldives, approximately 85.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Maldives, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 37.6% less on healthcare
Maldives spends 9.2% 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 67.5% less coastline
Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 9.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 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 88.0% less strain on fresh water
Maldives withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 84.8% less home broadband
Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 82.4% less CO2
Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Maldives, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Maldives vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.