Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sao Tome and Principe instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
be 94.2% less likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sao Tome and Principe, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.8 years less
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 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.
be 59.7% more likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 30.0% less spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sao Tome and Principe spends $355 as of 2023.
have 59.2% fewer doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 as of 2022.
have 11.9% less access to essential health services
Sri Lanka scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 9.1% as of 2025.
be 3.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sri Lanka, 14.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, however, that number is 55.5% as of 2017.
make 18.3% less money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Sao Tome and Principe, the GDP per capita is $4,084 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 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 4.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 18.0 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 76.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 5.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 18.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sri Lanka, 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 13.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sri Lanka, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 88% 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 2.7 times more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% 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 56.8% more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 3.7% 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 84.4% less coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Sao Tome and Principe, that number is 209 km.
Infrastructure
live with 97.9% less strain on fresh water
Sri Lanka withdraws 91% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 64.7% less home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 40.6% less CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sri Lanka, air pollution causes 37.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sao Tome and Principe, it causes 85.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: At a glance
How big is Sao Tome and Principe compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.