Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 72.7% more spent on your healthcare
Senegal spends $206 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 4.3 times more doctors per person
Senegal has 1.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 18.0% more access to essential health services
Senegal scores 50 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
be 87.3% less likely to die by suicide
Senegal has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 54.6% more likely to be obese
In Senegal, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.1 times more money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 68.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 237.0 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 88.2% more likely to be literate
In Senegal, the literacy rate is 50.4% as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 94.8% as of 2021.
be 68.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 28.9 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 11.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Senegal, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 81% 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 18.3% less on education
Senegal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.6% more on healthcare
Senegal spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 60.6% less coastline
Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 43.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Senegal, road accidents kill 20.8 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 88.5% less strain on fresh water
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 26.0% less home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 18.2% less CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 30.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Senegal, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Senegal vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.