Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 68.9% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2024.
live 1.9 years less
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 50.1% less spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
have 80.6% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 16.9% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Rwanda scores 49 as of 2021.
be 10.1 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 Rwanda, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
make 72.5% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.1 times 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 Rwanda, 229.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.9% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Rwanda, it is 78.8% as of 2022.
be 3.2 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 Rwanda, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.4% less 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 46.4% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Rwanda, about 31.7% do as of 2024.
be 21.3% less 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 Rwanda, that number is 61% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.1% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 79.9% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 10.7 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
be 27.1% 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 Rwanda, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 74.6% less CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Rwanda
MORE COMPARISONS
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.