Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 3.4 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 Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 27.1% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
see 90.6% more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 19.2% more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
be 5.7 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 Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 64.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 37.3% less 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 Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.5% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 48.9% 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 Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
have 55.4% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.0% 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 Bhutan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 54.4% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bhutan, about 91.3% do as of 2024.
be 27.7% 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 Bhutan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.4% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 16.3% more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 25.0% less strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
be 32.9% 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 Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.2 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Bhutan
MORE COMPARISONS
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.