Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
live 3.9 years longer
In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 70.0% more spent on your healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends $209 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 2.7 times more doctors per person
Republic of the Congo has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 43.9% more access to essential health services
Republic of the Congo scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 87.2% less likely to die by suicide
Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 46.9% more likely to be obese
In Republic of the Congo, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 54.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 62.4% more money
Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 68.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 241.0 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 17.6% more likely to be literate
In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 65.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 58.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% 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 25.1% more likely to have internet access
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.6% more on education
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% 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 74.8% more on healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 23.7% more coastline
Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 39.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
live with 62.7 times more strain on fresh water
Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 53.0% less CO2
Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 28.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 66.0 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Republic of the Congo vs. Sao Tome and Principe
MORE COMPARISONS
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.