Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 56.5% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 28.1% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 70.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Greenland, however, that number is 16.2% as of 2015.

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make 14.3 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

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Life

have 57.3% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greenland, there are 12.0 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 Greenland, 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 17.6% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

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

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Geography

see 210.9 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Infrastructure

find 10.7 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 16.6 times more CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 6 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 2.3 times more expensive than Sao Tome and Principe overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Sao Tome and Principe is about 2,247 times smaller than Greenland.
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Moving from Sao Tome and Principe to Greenland · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Greenland: At a glance

Greenland is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 2,166,086 sq km. Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government.
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How big is Greenland compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

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