Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Moldova, you would:
Health
be 19.6% less likely to be obese
In Moldova, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 93.9% less likely to die by suicide
Moldova has a suicide rate of 14.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.4 years less
In Moldova, the average life expectancy is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 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 69.9% less spent on your healthcare
Moldova spends $1,181 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 88.4% fewer doctors per person
Moldova has 40.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 16.9% less access to essential health services
Moldova scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Moldova, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 52.6% less money
Moldova has a GDP per capita of $8,622 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 39.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Moldova, approximately 15.1 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 2.7 times more children
In Moldova, 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 3.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Moldova, approximately 19.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Moldova, 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 23.6% less likely to have internet access
In Moldova, approximately 77.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 15.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Moldova, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 89% 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 23.3% less on education
Moldova spends 6.6% 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 14.4% less on healthcare
Moldova spends 6.7% 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 28.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Moldova, road accidents kill 9.1 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 85.0% less strain on fresh water
Moldova withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 89.9% less home broadband
Moldova has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 81.6% less CO2
Moldova emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 46.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Moldova, air pollution causes 58.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Moldova vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Moldova? See an in-depth size comparison.