If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of San Marino, you would:

Health

live 15.9 years less

In San Marino, the average life expectancy is 86 years (84 years for men, 87 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 93.2% less spent on your healthcare

San Marino spends $5,231 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 90.0% fewer doctors per person

San Marino has 46.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.

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have 23.4% less access to essential health services

San Marino 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

make 93.2% less money

San Marino has a GDP per capita of $59,871 as of 2023, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.

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Life

have 6.7 times more children

In San Marino, there are approximately 4.2 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 9.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In San Marino, approximately 8.0 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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be 7.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In San Marino, approximately 1.2 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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Basic Needs

be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In San Marino, 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 39.3% less likely to have internet access

In San Marino, approximately 97.3% 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 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In San Marino, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 12.7% less on healthcare

San Marino spends 6.6% 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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spend 73.4% more on education

San Marino spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 98.3% more likely to die in a road accident

In San Marino, road accidents kill 5.9 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

find 91.6% less home broadband

San Marino has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). 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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How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to San Marino? See an in-depth size comparison.

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