Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
see 71.6% more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Equatorial Guinea spends $609 as of 2023.
be 24.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sao Tome and Principe, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 7.3% of people as of 2020.
live 6.0 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
have 67.0% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 22.0% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Equatorial Guinea scores 46 as of 2021.
be 8.2 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 Equatorial Guinea, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 62.0% more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $6,615 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.3 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 Equatorial Guinea, 174.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.2 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 Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.7% 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 39.3% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 41.6% more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 296 km.
Infrastructure
live with 90.4% less strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 96.7% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 as of 2022.
Environment
be 30.6% 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 Equatorial Guinea, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.0 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2020), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea: At a glance
How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.