If you lived in Faroe Islands instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:

Health

live 13.2 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 Faroe Islands, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 82.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Faroe Islands, however, that number is 10.0% as of 2015.

View global rankings →

make 18.2 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Faroe Islands, the GDP per capita is $74,175 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Life

be 34.9% less 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 Faroe Islands, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 61.6% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Faroe Islands, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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 Faroe Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 65.1% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Faroe Islands, about 97.6% do as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 28.3% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Faroe Islands, 100% of people do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 5.3 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Faroe Islands, that number is 1,117 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 11.6 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Faroe Islands has 34.6 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 93.7% less CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Faroe Islands emits 0.0 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2022). How we calculate this

Faroe Islands: At a glance

Faroe Islands is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 1,393 sq km. The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A high degree of self-government was granted the Faroese in 1948, who have autonomy over most internal affairs while Denmark is responsible for justice, defense, and foreign affairs. The Faroe Islands are not part of the European Union.
Read more

How big is Faroe Islands compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Faroe Islands or Sao Tome and Principe. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.