Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
see 5.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 3.9 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 10.2% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 4.8 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 18.7% 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 Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.0 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 Palau, on the other hand, 18.6 children do as of 2024.
have 61.9% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 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 Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 42.0% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
be 27.7% 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 Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.6% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 88.0% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.3 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Palau, that number is 1,519 km.
Safety
be 89.7% 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 Palau, they kill 22.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.5 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 131.5 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Palau
MORE COMPARISONS
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.