Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Dominican Republic instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 4.0 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Dominican Republic spends $1,169 as of 2023.
have 5.2 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Dominican Republic has 24.3 as of 2023.
have 30.5% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Dominican Republic scores 77 as of 2021.
be 71.7% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
be 4.9 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 Dominican Republic, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Dominican Republic, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 2.7 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Dominican Republic, the GDP per capita is $11,059 as of 2025.
Life
be 65.3% 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 Dominican Republic, 124.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.0 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 Dominican Republic, on the other hand, 27.7 children do as of 2024.
have 37.3% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, there are 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 22.5% 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 53.9% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, about 91.0% do as of 2024.
be 25.0% 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 97% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.2% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 20.3% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 4.6% 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 1,288 km.
Safety
be 2.3 times 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 Dominican Republic, they kill 27.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.7 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Dominican Republic has 11.2 as of 2024.
live with 21.0 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Dominican Republic withdraws 40% as of 2022.
Environment
be 68.2% 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 Dominican Republic, it causes 27.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.7 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic emits 3.0 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. Dominican Republic
MORE COMPARISONS
Dominican Republic: At a glance
How big is Dominican Republic compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.