Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 52.5% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 73.9% less likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.9 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 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 89.3% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 71.4% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 24.4% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
make 79.4% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 23.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Panama, approximately 12.0 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 77.0% more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 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 2.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Panama, approximately 37.0 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 16.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Panama, approximately 97% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 91% 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 18.8% less likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 18.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Panama, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 88% 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 30.7% less on healthcare
Panama spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.6% less coastline
Panama has a total of 2,490 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 60.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 83.5% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 77.0% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.