Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
be 79.9% less likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.
see 29.9% more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Timor-Leste spends $461 as of 2023.
have 62.1% more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Timor-Leste has 7.5 as of 2020.
live 2.0 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 Timor-Leste, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
have 11.9% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Timor-Leste scores 52 as of 2021.
be 4.1 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 Timor-Leste, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 82.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Timor-Leste, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 24.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Timor-Leste, however, that number is 41.8% as of 2014.
make 67.2% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Timor-Leste, the GDP per capita is $1,341 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.6 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 Timor-Leste, 192.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.8% less likely to be literate
In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, it is 69.4% as of 2022.
be 3.8 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 Timor-Leste, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
have 22.5% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, there are 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Timor-Leste, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 12.0% 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 Timor-Leste, that number is 87% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 31.1% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, about 40.8% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 66.4% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.4 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.
Infrastructure
find 99.7% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.
live with 15.0 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Timor-Leste withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 28.2% 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 Timor-Leste, it causes 61.0 as of 2019.
emit 20.6% less CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2014–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Timor-Leste
MORE COMPARISONS
Timor-Leste: At a glance
How big is Timor-Leste compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.