Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years less
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 14.8% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
have 31.7% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 30.5% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
be 4.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Sao Tome and Principe has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
be 46.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 89.8% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 24.6% more children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 75.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 60.7% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 5.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 9.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, 48.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 72.8% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 42.3% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sao Tome and Principe, road accidents kill 11.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.3% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 29.1 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 55.6% less CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 68.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Sao Tome and Principe, air pollution causes 85.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Afghanistan
MORE COMPARISONS
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.