Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.8 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 Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 37.4% less likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 42.8% more spent on your healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 2.4 times more doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 13.6% more access to essential health services

Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 17.1 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 Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 56.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 74.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.

View global rankings →

make 22.5% more money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 76.0% 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 Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 43.5% 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 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 64.0% fewer children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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

View global rankings →

be 15.7% 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 Sri Lanka, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 63.6% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 36.2% less on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 6.4 times more coastline

Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 2.8 times more home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 48.3 times more strain on fresh water

Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 56.5% 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 Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 68.3% more CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Sri Lanka

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sri Lanka is 46.2% cheaper than Sao Tome and Principe overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Sao Tome and Principe is about 68 times smaller than Sri Lanka.
→
Moving from Sao Tome and Principe to Sri Lanka · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Sri Lanka: At a glance

Sri Lanka is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 64,630 sq km. The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was formally united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. By May 2009, the government announced that its military had defeated the remnants of the LTTE. Since the end of the conflict, the government has enacted an ambitious program of economic development projects, many of which are financed by loans from the Government of China. In addition to efforts to reconstruct its economy, the government has resettled more than 95% of those civilians who were displaced during the final phase of the conflict and released the vast majority of former LTTE combatants captured by Government Security Forces. At the same time, there has been little progress on more contentious and politically difficult issues such as reaching a political settlement with Tamil elected representatives and holding accountable those alleged to have been involved in human rights violations and other abuses during the conflict.
Read more

How big is Sri Lanka compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Sri Lanka or Sao Tome and Principe. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.