Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 11.1 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 Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 5.8 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 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. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 82.5% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 9.4 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 Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 4.9 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 68.0% 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 Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
have 64.4% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 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 Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 47.4% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 28.0% 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 Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.1% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.2 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 32.5% 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 Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.8 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 82.4% 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 Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 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. Costa Rica
MORE COMPARISONS
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.