Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 8.1 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bosnia and Herzegovina spends $1,989 as of 2023.
have 5.6 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina has 25.8 as of 2019.
have 11.9% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bosnia and Herzegovina scores 66 as of 2021.
be 17.0% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 21.0% of people as of 2024.
be 10.4 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is 9.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 69.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, however, that number is 16.9% as of 2015.
make 2.5 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the GDP per capita is $10,382 as of 2025.
be 20.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 11.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 92.0% 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6.0 women do as of 2023.
be 40.2% less 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 72.5% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are 7.7 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 45.6% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 86.1% do as of 2024.
be 23.3% 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 96% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.4% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bosnia and Herzegovina spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 54.6% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.4% less coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that number is 20 km.
Safety
be 17.1% 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, they kill 13.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 9.8 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bosnia and Herzegovina has 29.4 as of 2024.
live with 10.1% more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 35.3% 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.2 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bosnia and Herzegovina emits 6.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
MORE COMPARISONS
Bosnia and Herzegovina: At a glance
How big is Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.