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

Health

be 40.8% less likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guinea, that number is 10.6% of people as of 2024.

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live 9.0 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 Guinea, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 52.5% less spent on your healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guinea spends $169 as of 2023.

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have 54.7% fewer doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guinea has 2.1 as of 2022.

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have 32.2% less access to essential health services

Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guinea scores 40 as of 2021.

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be 5.6 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 Guinea, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 43.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guinea, that number is 5.2% as of 2025.

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be 21.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Guinea, however, that number is 43.7% as of 2018.

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make 54.0% less money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Guinea, the GDP per capita is $1,877 as of 2025.

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Life

have 18.7% more children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guinea, there are 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 6.6 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 Guinea, 494.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 52.2% less likely to be literate

In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Guinea, it is 45.3% as of 2021.

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be 6.5 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 Guinea, on the other hand, 59.8 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 37.1% less 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 Guinea, that number is 51% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 43.7% less likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guinea, about 33.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 65.8% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Guinea spends 1.7% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 36.0% less on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guinea, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 53.1% more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Guinea, that number is 320 km.

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Safety

be 3.2 times more 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 Guinea, they kill 37.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 27.1% less strain on fresh water

Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guinea withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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find 99.7% less home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guinea has 0.0 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 44.4% less CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guinea emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 10.6% more 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 Guinea, it causes 94.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Guinea: At a glance

Guinea is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 245,717 sq km. Guinea is at a turning point after decades of authoritarian rule since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Guinea held its first free and competitive democratic presidential and legislative elections in 2010 and 2013 respectively. Alpha CONDE was elected to a five year term as president in 2010, and the National Assembly was seated in January 2014. CONDE's cabinet is the first all-civilian government in Guinea. Previously, Sekou TOURE ruled the country as president from independence to his death in 1984. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after TOURE's death. Gen. CONTE organized and won presidential elections in 1993, 1998, and 2003, though all the polls were rigged. Upon CONTE's death in December 2008, Capt. Moussa Dadis CAMARA led a military coup, seizing power and suspending the constitution. His unwillingness to yield to domestic and international pressure to step down led to heightened political tensions that culminated in September 2009 when presidential guards opened fire on an opposition rally killing more than 150 people, and in early December 2009 when CAMARA was wounded in an assassination attempt and exiled to Burkina Faso. A transitional government led by Gen. Sekouba KONATE paved the way for Guinea's transition to a fledgling democracy.
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