Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 55.6% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Afghanistan, that number is 5.5% of people as of 2016.
live 13.4 years less
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 18.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 66.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 54.5% as of 2017.
make 51.2% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,100 as of 2020, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $2,000 as of 2020.
be 95.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 12.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Afghanistan, that number is 23.9% as of 2017.
Life
have 25.8% more children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Afghanistan, there are 35.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 4.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 130.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Afghanistan, 638.0 women do as of 2017.
be 59.8% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 92.8% as of 2018. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 44.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, 104.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 39.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 71% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Afghanistan, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2018.
be 45.5% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 33.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Afghanistan, about 18.0% do as of 2020.
be 22.3% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 98% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Afghanistan, that number is 76% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 45.8% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Afghanistan spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.2% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.