Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 9.2 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 3.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 2.5 times more doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 43.9% more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 79.3% less likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 34.8% more likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.4 times more money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 79.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 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 2.7 times more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 80.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 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 28.9% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 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 49.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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 60.7% more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.3% more on education
Mali spends 4.2% 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 51.4% more on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 42.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, 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.
Infrastructure
find 3.9 times more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 76.5% less strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 30.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Mali emits 0.3 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.