Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Hong Kong instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 15.5 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 Hong Kong, that number is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 69.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Hong Kong, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
be 64.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Hong Kong, however, that number is 19.9% as of 2016.
make 14.0 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Hong Kong, the GDP per capita is $56,983 as of 2025.
Life
be 72.3% 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 Hong Kong, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.
have 82.6% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 4.9 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 Hong Kong, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 62.0% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Hong Kong, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
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 as of 2024. In Hong Kong, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.3% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Hong Kong spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.5 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Hong Kong, that number is 733 km.
Infrastructure
find 13.5 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Hong Kong has 40.3 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 7.3 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), The World Factbook (2016–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Hong Kong
MORE COMPARISONS
Hong Kong: At a glance
How big is Hong Kong compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.