If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Saint Lucia, you would:

Health

be 48.5% less likely to be obese

In Saint Lucia, 34.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.

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be 83.7% less likely to die by suicide

Saint Lucia has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 2.9 years less

In Saint Lucia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (69 years for men, 76 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.

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see 71.1% less spent on your healthcare

Saint Lucia spends $1,228 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.

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have 89.0% fewer doctors per person

Saint Lucia has 42.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 23.4% less access to essential health services

Saint Lucia scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Saint Lucia, 25.0% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.

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make 72.3% less money

Saint Lucia has a GDP per capita of $14,746 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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Life

be 41.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Saint Lucia, approximately 15.8 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.

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have 2.5 times more children

In Saint Lucia, there are approximately 11.2 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.

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be 70.5% more likely to die during childbirth

In Saint Lucia, approximately 44.0 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.

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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Saint Lucia, 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.

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be 13.3% less likely to have internet access

In Saint Lucia, approximately 68.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.

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be 20.5% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Saint Lucia, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 98% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 30.6% more on education

Saint Lucia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 22.0% more on healthcare

Saint Lucia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 32.3% more coastline

Saint Lucia has a total of 158 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.

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Safety

be 31.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Saint Lucia, road accidents kill 8.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 86.9% less strain on fresh water

Saint Lucia withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 78.0% less home broadband

Saint Lucia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 63.2% less CO2

Saint Lucia emits 1.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Saint Lucia, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance

Sao Tome and Principe is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 964 sq km. Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with African plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. In 2012, three opposition parties combined in a no confidence vote to bring down the majority government of former Prime Minister Patrice TROVOADA. The new government of Prime Minister Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira DA COSTA is entirely composed of opposition party members with limited experience in governance. New oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea may attract increased attention to the small island nation.
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