Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Swaziland instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Swaziland spends $922 as of 2023.
have 20.0% more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Swaziland has 5.6 as of 2023.
live 5.6 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 Swaziland, that number is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024.
be 65.2% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 29.6% of people as of 2024.
be 31.7 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 Swaziland, it is 27.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Swaziland, that number is 34.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 57.3% 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 Swaziland, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.6 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 Swaziland, on the other hand, 42.2 children do as of 2024.
have 15.8% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Swaziland, there are 23.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.9% more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Swaziland spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 30.0% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Swaziland, that number is 7.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.1 times 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 Swaziland, they kill 24.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.1% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Swaziland has 2.5 as of 2024.
live with 41.3 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Swaziland withdraws 78% as of 2022.
Environment
be 22.4% 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 Swaziland, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
emit 39.7% more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Swaziland
MORE COMPARISONS
Swaziland: At a glance
How big is Swaziland compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.