Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guyana instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
see 3.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guyana spends $1,331 as of 2023.
have 3.0 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guyana has 13.9 as of 2020.
have 28.8% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guyana scores 76 as of 2021.
be 68.1% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 30.1% of people as of 2024.
be 28.8 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 Guyana, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.9 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Guyana, the GDP per capita is $32,414 as of 2025.
be 31.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guyana, that number is 12.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.5 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 Guyana, on the other hand, 23.2 children do as of 2024.
have 29.2% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guyana, there are 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.6% 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 Guyana, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 40.4% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guyana, about 83.0% do as of 2024.
be 22.7% 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 Guyana, that number is 96% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.2% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guyana, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Guyana, that number is 459 km.
Safety
be 29.9% 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 Guyana, they kill 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.3 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guyana has 12.9 as of 2022.
live with 75.5% more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guyana withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 38.8% 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 Guyana, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.2 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Guyana
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Guyana: At a glance
How big is Guyana compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.