Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years longer
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 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 36.0% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends $133 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 7.6 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 96.7% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 52.7% less likely to die by suicide
Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 35.3% more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 3.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 60.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 189.0 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 70.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 31.3 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 15.6% more children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 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 4.0 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 13% 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 3.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 46.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 48% 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 6.4 times more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% 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 2.0 times more on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% 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 95.9% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 66.0% less likely to be murdered
Papua New Guinea has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2010. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 3.2 per 100,000 as of 2011.
be 21.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Papua New Guinea, road accidents kill 14.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.0 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 14.5 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Papua New Guinea, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
emit 21.2% more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 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 (2010–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.