Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 13.2 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 10.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 6.4 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 39.0% more access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 76.4% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
be 98.8% 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 United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 76.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 12.3 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 96.0% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 58.7% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 65.0% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 69.1% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 28.3% 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.7% less on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 13.9% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.3 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 49.6% less 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 United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.7 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 803.2 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 17.6% 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 United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.0 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. United Arab Emirates
MORE COMPARISONS
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.