Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 48.8% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
see 65.3% less spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 28.7% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 11.9% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 5.3 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 Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 87.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 43.1% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 49.3% 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 Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.2% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 3.0 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 Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.
have 25.5% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% 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 Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 10.9% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 23.0% 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 Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.5% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 76.9% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 40.2% 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 Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.8% 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 Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.3 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Laos
MORE COMPARISONS
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.