Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cabo Verde instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 6.3 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 Cabo Verde, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
see 73.7% more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cabo Verde spends $617 as of 2023.
have 57.3% more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cabo Verde has 7.3 as of 2023.
have 20.3% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cabo Verde scores 71 as of 2021.
be 17.3 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 Cabo Verde, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 41.9% more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Cabo Verde, the GDP per capita is $5,796 as of 2025.
be 30.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cabo Verde, that number is 11.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 46.7% 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 Cabo Verde, 40.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.2% 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 Cabo Verde, on the other hand, 10.6 children do as of 2024.
have 56.5% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.3% 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 Cabo Verde, that number is 99% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 26.4% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, about 74.7% do as of 2024.
be 18.4% 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 Cabo Verde, that number is 92% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 86% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.5% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cabo Verde spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.6 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Cabo Verde, that number is 965 km.
Safety
be 41.0% 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 Cabo Verde, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.8 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cabo Verde has 8.3 as of 2024.
live with 31.7 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cabo Verde withdraws 60% as of 2022.
Environment
be 30.6% 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 Cabo Verde, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Cabo Verde
MORE COMPARISONS
Cabo Verde: At a glance
How big is Cabo Verde compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.