Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 11.5 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 Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 18.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
have 7.1 times more doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
have 49.2% 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 Kingdom scores 88 as of 2021.
be 52.8% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
be 11.1 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 United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
be 66.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In United Kingdom, however, that number is 18.6% as of 2017.
make 14.1 times more money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.3% 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 Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.4% 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 Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 64.8% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 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 Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 61.5% 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 Kingdom, about 95.5% 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 Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.5% more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 92.9% more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 59.5 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
Safety
be 79.5% 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 Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 14.1 times more home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Kingdom has 42.2 as of 2024.
live with 7.6 times more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
Environment
be 84.7% 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 Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.7 times more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes as of 2024.
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. United Kingdom
MORE COMPARISONS
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.