Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nicaragua instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 94.0% more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nicaragua spends $689 as of 2023.
have 18.6% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nicaragua scores 70 as of 2021.
be 94.8% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nicaragua, that number is 34.9% of people as of 2024.
be 4.9 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 Nicaragua, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nicaragua, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 55.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Nicaragua, however, that number is 24.9% as of 2016.
make 22.3% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Nicaragua, the GDP per capita is $3,173 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.0% less 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 Nicaragua, 60.0 women do as of 2023.
have 31.9% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nicaragua, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 42.9% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nicaragua spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 43.8% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nicaragua, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.4 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Nicaragua, that number is 910 km.
Safety
be 16.2% 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 Nicaragua, they kill 13.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.3% more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nicaragua has 5.8 as of 2024.
live with 18.1% more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nicaragua withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 55.3% 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 Nicaragua, it causes 38.0 as of 2019.
emit 31.7% more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Nicaragua
MORE COMPARISONS
Nicaragua: At a glance
How big is Nicaragua compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.