Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Philippines instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 46.3% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Philippines, that number is 9.6% of people as of 2024.
see 57.9% more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Philippines spends $560 as of 2023.
have 70.7% more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Philippines has 7.9 as of 2021.
be 4.1 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 Philippines, it is 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Philippines, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.4 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 Philippines, on the other hand, 21.7 children do as of 2024.
have 43.4% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Philippines, there are 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 20.5% 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 Philippines, that number is 98% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 13.8% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Philippines, about 67.3% do as of 2024.
be 23.0% 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 Philippines, that number is 96% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.1% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Philippines spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2025.
spend 11.6% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Philippines, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 173.6 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Philippines, that number is 36,289 km.
Safety
be 17.1% less 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 Philippines, they kill 9.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Philippines has 7.1 as of 2024.
live with 14.8 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Philippines withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Philippines emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Philippines
MORE COMPARISONS
Philippines: At a glance
How big is Philippines compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.