Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 62.7% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
live 7.8 years less
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 83.7% less spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 55.2% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 28.8% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
be 10.2 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
make 80.2% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 45.5% more children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.7 times more 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.7% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 6.1 times 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 56.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 72.8% less 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 66.7% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 54.2% less 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.5% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 36.2% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.3% less coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 39.3% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 87.8% less strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.0% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 15.3% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
emit 90.5% less CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
MORE COMPARISONS
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.