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

Health

be 47.2% less likely to be obese

In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 9.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 1.4 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 Uganda, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 60.9% less spent on your healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uganda spends $139 as of 2023.

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have 58.8% fewer doctors per person

Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Uganda has 1.9 as of 2022.

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have 16.9% less access to essential health services

Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Uganda scores 49 as of 2021.

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be 6.4 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 Uganda, it is 5.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 69.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uganda, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.

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make 70.5% less money

Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $1,206 as of 2025.

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Life

have 22.6% more children

In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uganda, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.3 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 Uganda, 170.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 18.7% less likely to be literate

In Sao Tome and Principe, the literacy rate is 94.8% as of 2021. In Uganda, it is 77.0% as of 2024.

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be 3.9 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 Uganda, on the other hand, 35.9 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 36.7% 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 Uganda, that number is 52% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 84.9% less likely to have internet access

In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Uganda, about 8.9% do as of 2024.

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be 19.2% 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 Uganda, that number is 63% of people on average (80% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 49.1% less on education

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Uganda spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 26.5% less on healthcare

Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 36.8% 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 Uganda, they kill 16.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 93.0% less home broadband

Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uganda has 0.2 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. Uganda withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 29.4% 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 Uganda, it causes 60.0 as of 2019.

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emit 73.0% less CO2

Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uganda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Uganda: At a glance

Uganda is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 197,100 sq km. The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. A constitutional referendum in 2005 cancelled a 19-year ban on multi-party politics.
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