Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 2.8 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 Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.
have 2.8 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.
be 56.1% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
be 5.7 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 Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 71.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 61.5% more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.3% 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 Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.4% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 82.1% as of 2024.
be 87.0% 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do as of 2024.
have 26.6% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Guatemala, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 19.5% 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 Guatemala, that number is 93% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.8% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 17.9% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.4% more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.
Infrastructure
find 78.6% more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 52.9% 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 Guatemala, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
emit 76.2% more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Guatemala
MORE COMPARISONS
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.