Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 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.
be 43.6% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 96.1% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 73.8% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 41.6% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 16.9% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 71.8% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
make 38.1% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 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 62.0% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 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.
have 52.0% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 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.
Basic Needs
be 24.6% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, about 59.1% do as of 2024.
be 13.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 73% 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 16.4% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 35.2% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% 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 92.5% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Safety
be 52.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 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 97.2% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 44.1% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 90.8% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 80.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.