Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 1.2 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 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.
be 25.6% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 17.7% more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 77.8% more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 47.5% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 68.3% less likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 85.9% more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 74.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
Life
be 80.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mauritania, approximately 381.0 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 41.5% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 69.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Mauritania, approximately 30.2 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 17.5% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 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 61.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mauritania, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 1% 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 29.1% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.9% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 32.9% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% 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 72.3% less coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 23.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.1 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 85.8% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 35.1% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 37.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.