Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 15.3 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 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 36.5% more spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 22.1% more doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 55.3% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 82.8% less likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 31.1% more likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.3 times more money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 92.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 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 34.6% more likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 86.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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 13.5% fewer children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 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 32.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% 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 43.5% more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.7 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% 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 37.7% more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% 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 75.5% less coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 32.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 37.4 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 80.6% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 10.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.5% more CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nigeria vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.