Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 55.3% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
live 9.1 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 70 years (66 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 89.8% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 86.4% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 20.3% less access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 88.2% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 70.2% more children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 10.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, 75.0 women do as of 2023.
be 95.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, on the other hand, 9.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 81% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 40.9% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 78% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.3% more on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.1% less coastline
Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 36.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 93.2% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 96.6% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Saudi Arabia vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.