Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.
live 2.8 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 87.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Marshall Islands, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2019.
make 2.1 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.1 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 Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
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 Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.
have 28.5% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 11.5% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, about 65.9% do as of 2024.
be 12.2% 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 87% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.1% more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 77.2% more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Marshall Islands, that number is 370 km.
Infrastructure
find 21.4% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Marshall Islands
MORE COMPARISONS
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.