Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Liberia instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 7.6 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 Liberia, that number is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 34.4% less spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Liberia spends $233 as of 2023.
have 61.6% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Liberia has 1.8 as of 2022.
have 23.7% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Liberia scores 45 as of 2021.
be 6.9 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 Liberia, it is 6.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Liberia, that number is 2.9% as of 2025.
make 77.6% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Liberia, the GDP per capita is $915 as of 2025.
Life
be 8.4 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 Liberia, 628.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.9 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 Liberia, on the other hand, 63.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 60.0% 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 Liberia, that number is 32% of people on average (53% in urban areas, and 9% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 45.5% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Liberia, about 32.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 54.9% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Liberia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Liberia, that number is 13.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.8 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Liberia, that number is 579 km.
Safety
be 30.8% 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 Liberia, they kill 15.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 86.2% less strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Liberia withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 91.0% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Liberia has 0.3 as of 2022.
Environment
be 29.4% 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 Liberia, it causes 60.0 as of 2019.
emit 76.2% less CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Liberia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Liberia
MORE COMPARISONS
Liberia: At a glance
How big is Liberia compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.