Quality of life comparison
If you lived in India instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 2.3 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 India, that number is 72 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 55.3% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In India, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
have 55.8% more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. India has 7.2 as of 2020.
be 14.6 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 India, it is 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 53.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In India, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 33.8% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in India, the GDP per capita is $2,702 as of 2025.
Life
be 17.6% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In India, it is 78.2% as of 2024.
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 India, on the other hand, 23.3 children do as of 2024.
have 43.1% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In India, there are 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 22.4% 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 India, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 18.4% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In India, about 70.0% do as of 2025.
be 22.8% 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 India, that number is 96% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.5% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. India spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 42.1% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In India, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 33.5 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In India, that number is 7,000 km.
Safety
be 31.6% 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 India, they kill 15.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 35.4 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. India withdraws 66% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 3.4 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. India emits 2.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. India
MORE COMPARISONS
India: At a glance
How big is India compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.