If you lived in Cayman Islands instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:

Health

live 10.6 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 Cayman Islands, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 25.5 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Cayman Islands, the GDP per capita is $104,293 as of 2024.

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Life

be 16.8% 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 Cayman Islands, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2022.

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have 58.8% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cayman Islands, there are 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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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 Cayman Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 37.2% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cayman Islands, about 81.1% do as of 2021.

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be 22.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Cayman Islands, 95% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 68.8% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cayman Islands spends 1.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 23.4% less coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Cayman Islands, that number is 160 km.

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Infrastructure

find 18.8 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cayman Islands has 56.4 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 7.9 times more CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cayman Islands emits 5.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022). How we calculate this

Cayman Islands: At a glance

Cayman Islands is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 264 sq km. The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies. When the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.
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How big is Cayman Islands compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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