Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 57.7% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 84.1% less likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.0 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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.
Economy
be 52.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 89.9% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.9 times more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 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 6.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 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 52.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Puerto Rico, 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 32.3% less likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, 78% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.8% more on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 58.3% less coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Infrastructure
live with 90.4% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 89.3% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 86.9% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 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), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.