Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 54.3% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
live 7.9 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 Sierra Leone, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 55.2% less spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
have 71.1% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
have 30.5% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sierra Leone scores 41 as of 2021.
be 7.1 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 Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 79.3% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.7 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 Sierra Leone, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.7% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 48.6% as of 2022.
be 5.9 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 Sierra Leone, on the other hand, 54.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 56.3% 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 Sierra Leone, that number is 36% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 19% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 57.5% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
be 12.7% 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 Sierra Leone, that number is 68% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.9% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 18.2% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.3% more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 17.9% 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 Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 73.4% less strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 73.0% less CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 14.1% more 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 Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Sierra Leone
MORE COMPARISONS
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.