Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
live 2.8 years longer
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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.
be 57.3% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 59.4% less spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
Economy
be 7.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
make 51.9% less money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 51.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 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 59.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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.
have 39.8% more children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Marshall Islands, 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 10.3% less likely to have internet access
In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 10.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 94% 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 34.7% less on education
Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.0% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% 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 43.6% less coastline
Marshall Islands has a total of 370 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Infrastructure
find 27.2% more home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.