Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Colombia instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 8.0 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 Colombia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Colombia spends $1,758 as of 2024.
have 5.5 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Colombia has 25.4 as of 2023.
have 35.6% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Colombia scores 80 as of 2021.
be 39.0% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2024.
be 5.8 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 Colombia, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.1 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Colombia, the GDP per capita is $8,562 as of 2025.
Life
be 21.3% 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 Colombia, 59.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.1% 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 Colombia, on the other hand, 10.5 children do as of 2024.
have 52.8% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Colombia, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.4% 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 Colombia, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 34.2% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Colombia, about 79.3% do as of 2024.
be 24.6% 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 Colombia, that number is 97% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.1% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Colombia, that number is 8.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 15.3 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Colombia, that number is 3,208 km.
Safety
be 38.5% 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 Colombia, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.8 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Colombia has 17.2 as of 2024.
live with 93.1% more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Colombia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
Environment
be 71.8% 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 Colombia, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Colombia emits 1.8 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. Colombia
MORE COMPARISONS
Colombia: At a glance
How big is Colombia compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.