Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 55.4% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
live 2.3 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 Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 64.7% less spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 88.4% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 18.6% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 8.8 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 Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 83.6% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 10.9% more children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.0 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 Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 29.0% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 4.1 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 Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 80.8% 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 Malawi, that number is 16% of people on average (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 67.9% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.3% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 13.2% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 43.8% less likely to be murdered
Sao Tome and Principe has a homicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In Malawi, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2012.
be 72.6% 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 Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.0% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 9.3 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 49.4% 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 Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 65.1% less CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Malawi
MORE COMPARISONS
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.