Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 1.7 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 Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 25.9% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 22.6% of people as of 2024.
see 60.2% less spent on your healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 64.7% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 20.3% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
be 18.3 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 Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 71.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.
Life
be 33.3% 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 Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.5% 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 Vanuatu, on the other hand, 14.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.2% more likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 11.7% 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 Vanuatu, that number is 87% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 24.2% 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 Vanuatu, that number is 62% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 28.6% less on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 51.9% more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 12.1 times more coastline
Sao Tome and Principe has a total of 209 km of coastline. In Vanuatu, that number is 2,528 km.
Infrastructure
find 61.2% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 32.9% 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 Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.1% more CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Vanuatu
MORE COMPARISONS
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.