Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 12.0 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 Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
be 6.3 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 Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 34.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
make 9.9 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
Life
be 85.3% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 34.3% less 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 79.7% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 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 Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 47.6% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
be 28.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.1% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.4 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Infrastructure
find 9.4 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 10.4 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 7.7 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Puerto Rico
MORE COMPARISONS
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.