Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
see 89.6% more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 12.3% more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
live 1.4 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 Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 26.5% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2024.
have 16.9% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.
be 8.5 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 Gabon, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Gabon, however, that number is 33.4% as of 2017.
make 2.0 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 3.1 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.8 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.7% 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 Gabon, that number is 94% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 29% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 16.2% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gabon, about 68.7% do as of 2024.
be 13.6% 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 Gabon, that number is 89% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.9% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 45.8% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.2 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.
Infrastructure
find 56.9% more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
live with 73.4% less strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 37.6% 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 Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Gabon
MORE COMPARISONS
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.