Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Belize instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 3.8 years longer
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 61.5% more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belize spends $573 as of 2023.
have 15.3% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belize scores 68 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 43.4% of people as of 2024.
be 4.9 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 Belize, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 92.6% more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Belize, the GDP per capita is $7,865 as of 2025.
Life
be 17.4% 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 Belize, on the other hand, 10.8 children do as of 2024.
have 35.7% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belize, there are 18.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 22.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 81% of people have electricity access (82% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Belize, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 35.3% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Belize, about 80.0% do as of 2024.
be 21.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water (79% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 95% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.1% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Belize, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 84.7% more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Belize, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 49.6% 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 Belize, they kill 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.3 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belize has 9.8 as of 2022.
live with 33.0% less strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belize withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
be 75.3% less 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 Belize, it causes 21.0 as of 2019.
emit 47.6% more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belize emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Belize
MORE COMPARISONS
Belize: At a glance
How big is Belize compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.