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

Health

live 11.9 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 Greece, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 9.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Greece spends $3,454 as of 2023.

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have 14.2 times more doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Greece has 65.8 as of 2022.

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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. Greece scores 77 as of 2021.

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be 53.1% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greece, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.

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be 5.4 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 Greece, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 6.6 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Greece, the GDP per capita is $26,948 as of 2025.

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Life

be 93.3% less 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 Greece, 5.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 65.2% 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 Greece, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 76.5% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greece, there are 6.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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

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be 45.9% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greece, about 86.3% do as of 2024.

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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 (79% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Greece, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 32.8% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Greece spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 45.4% more on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Greece, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 65.4 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Greece, that number is 13,676 km.

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Safety

be 37.6% less 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 Greece, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 14.9 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greece has 44.7 as of 2024.

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live with 10.8 times more strain on fresh water

Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Greece withdraws 20% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 72.9% 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 Greece, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.

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emit 8.0 times more CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greece emits 5.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Greece: At a glance

Greece is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 130,647 sq km. Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.
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