Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 72.1% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 92.8% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.9 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 25.2% less spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 17.3% fewer doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
Economy
be 82.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 2.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Samoa, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
make 30.5% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Samoa, approximately 101.0 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 25.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Samoa, approximately 12.3 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 12.5% more children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 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 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Samoa, 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 21.5% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Samoa, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 14.9% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% 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 48.1% less coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 21.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.4 times more home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 60.6% less CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.