Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Senegal instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 35.3% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
live 1.0 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 Senegal, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 42.1% less spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Senegal spends $206 as of 2023.
have 76.5% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Senegal has 1.1 as of 2023.
have 15.3% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Senegal scores 50 as of 2021.
be 7.9 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 Senegal, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Senegal, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 52.1% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $1,955 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.2 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 Senegal, 237.0 women do as of 2023.
be 46.9% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 50.4% as of 2023.
be 3.1 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 28.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.9% 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 Senegal, that number is 88% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.1% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 22.5% more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Senegal spends 6.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.5 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Senegal, that number is 531 km.
Safety
be 77.8% 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 Senegal, they kill 20.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 35.1% more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Senegal has 4.0 as of 2024.
live with 8.7 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Senegal withdraws 16% as of 2022.
Environment
be 23.5% 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 Senegal, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.2% more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Senegal
MORE COMPARISONS
Senegal: At a glance
How big is Senegal compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.