Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 6.1 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 Serbia, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 6.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Serbia spends $2,303 as of 2023.

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have 6.7 times more doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Serbia has 31.0 as of 2022.

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have 22.0% more access to essential health services

Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Serbia scores 72 as of 2021.

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be 21.9% more likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Serbia, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.

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be 17.6 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 Serbia, it is 15.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 22.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Serbia, that number is 7.1% as of 2025.

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make 3.7 times more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Serbia, the GDP per capita is $15,262 as of 2025.

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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 Serbia, 11.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 50.0% 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 Serbia, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 67.2% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Serbia, there are 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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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 Serbia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 48.3% more likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Serbia, about 87.7% do as of 2024.

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be 22.4% 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 Serbia, that number is 95% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 32.4% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Serbia spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 39.2% more on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Serbia, that number is 8.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 36.8% 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 Serbia, they kill 7.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 11.2 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Serbia has 33.4 as of 2024.

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live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water

Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Serbia withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 47.1% 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 Serbia, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.

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

Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Serbia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Serbia is 4.7% cheaper than Sao Tome and Principe overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Sao Tome and Principe is about 80 times smaller than Serbia.
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Moving from Sao Tome and Principe to Serbia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Serbia: At a glance

Serbia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 77,474 sq km. The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Communist Partisans resisted the Axis occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945 and fought nationalist opponents and collaborators as well. The military and political movement headed by Josip Broz "TITO" (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when their domestic rivals and the occupiers were defeated in 1945. Although communists, TITO and his successors (Tito died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In 1989, Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Republic of Serbia and his ultranationalist calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. In 1991, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence, followed by Bosnia in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia led various military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions were ultimately unsuccessful and, after international intervention, led to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. MILOSEVIC retained control over Serbia and eventually became president of the FRY in 1997. In 1998, an ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo provoked a Serbian counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. The MILOSEVIC government's rejection of a proposed international settlement led to NATO's bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999. Serbian military and police forces withdrew from Kosovo in June 1999, and the UN Security Council authorized an interim UN administration and a NATO-led security force in Kosovo. FRY elections in late 2000 led to the ouster of MILOSEVIC and the installation of democratic government. In 2003, the FRY became the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of the two republics. Widespread violence predominantly targeting ethnic Serbs in Kosovo in March 2004 let to more intense calls to address Kosovo's status, and the UN began facilitating status talks in 2006. In June 2006, Montenegro seceded from the federation and declared itself an independent nation. Serbia subsequently gave notice that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. In February 2008, after nearly two years of inconclusive negotiations, Kosovo declared itself independent of Serbia - an action Serbia refuses to recognize. At Serbia's request, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in October 2008 sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on whether Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence was in accordance with international law. In a ruling considered unfavorable to Serbia, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion in July 2010 stating that international law did not prohibit declarations of independence. In late 2010, Serbia agreed to an EU-drafted UNGA Resolution acknowledging the ICJ's decision and calling for a new round of talks between Serbia and Kosovo, this time on practical issues rather than Kosovo's status. The EU-moderated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue began in March 2011 and was raised to the level of prime ministers in October 2012. Serbia and Kosovo signed the first agreement of principles governing the normalization of relations between the two countries in April 2013 and are in the process of implementing its provisions.
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