If you lived in Peru instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:

Health

live 8.0 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 Peru, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Peru spends $956 as of 2023.

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have 3.6 times more doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Peru has 16.9 as of 2023.

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have 20.3% more access to essential health services

Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Peru scores 71 as of 2021.

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be 62.7% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Peru, that number is 29.1% of people as of 2024.

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be 79.1% 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 Peru, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 43.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Peru, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.

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make 2.4 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Peru, the GDP per capita is $9,684 as of 2025.

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Life

be 32.0% 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 Peru, 51.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 19.6% 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 Peru, on the other hand, 11.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 43.9% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Peru, there are 15.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 18.3% 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 Peru, that number is 96% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 38.6% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Peru, about 82.0% do as of 2024.

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be 22.7% 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 Peru, that number is 96% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 87% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 13.3% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Peru spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 11.6 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Peru, that number is 2,414 km.

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Infrastructure

find 3.9 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Peru has 11.7 as of 2024.

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live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water

Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Peru withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 69.4% 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 Peru, it causes 26.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.2 times more CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Peru emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Peru: At a glance

Peru is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 1,279,996 sq km. Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces were defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his resignation in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which installed Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of indigenous ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA Perez who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, oversaw a robust economic rebound. In June 2011, former army officer Ollanta HUMALA Tasso was elected president, defeating Keiko FUJIMORI Higuchi, the daughter of Alberto FUJIMORI. Since his election, HUMALA has carried on the sound, market-oriented economic policies of the three preceding administrations.
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