Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China 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 China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 48.2% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
see 4.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 6.7 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
have 37.3% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. China scores 81 as of 2021.
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 China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 3.4 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 78.7% 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 China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.4% 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 China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 75.9% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 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 China, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 54.9% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In China, about 91.6% do as of 2025.
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 China, that number is 96% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.5% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 69.4 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 48.7% 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 China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.8 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
live with 22.1 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 24.7% 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 China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.8 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 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. China
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China: At a glance
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