Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.
have 19.2% more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.
live 2.4 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 Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 10.0 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 Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Namibia, however, that number is 17.4% as of 2015.
make 19.4% more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 85.3% 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.0 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.0% 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 Namibia, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 30.3% 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 Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 80.5% more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 64.3% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.5 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.
Safety
be 88.0% 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 Namibia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 83.5% less strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% 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 Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 90.5% more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Namibia
MORE COMPARISONS
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.